A Grand Adventure
by 1Coltsguy
Summary: Summary: In the future, we find that magic is real. It was just sealed away. Then, it comes back for some unknown reason. One man harnessed it and became famous for it. What happens when the man who has everything wants more? This fic will merge many different stories, but I plan for it make the most use of Ranma 1/2.
1. Chapter 1

Blake unrolled the map he had brought ashore. He looked at his surroundings. Three large palm trees, each with a tall rock at the base in front of him. A gentle tide far behind him, not showing any signs of the storm he knew was heading his way. He grabbed his binoculars and looked at the mountains in the distance. The pattern was similar. He was unsure if it was here, but the map he acquired had led him here and he was determined that this would be his moment to find the final piece to his puzzle. Fate was the only thing that could stop him now.

"This looks like the place. I want teams of two digging 20 feet apart from this location going south, east, and north." The excavation crew Blake hired leapt into action. 15 groups started to dig where he instructed, while he himself started to dig where he stood. Where the map said he would find it.

"Do you want any help with that Blake?"

"No thanks, Danny. I think it's here, but I want them digging in case I'm off by  
a little."

Danny sighed and put her hands on her hips.

"I don't even know why you brought me along. I may be your bodyguard, but since you found the last ring eight months ago no one else has even tried to attack you."

"It's probably because the rumor I spread has them scared."

"Rumor? What rumor?"

"That the last ring made me immortal, unkillable."

Danny sighed.

"I think that's stupid. Just because you found the tenth and final ring, people automatically assume a rumor like that must be true."

"It's brilliant right?" Blake said as he playfully throws some dirt at her. She gets  
annoyed and puts her hand on her knife.

"Sorry. Sorry. People were amazed at the things I could do. I did those with just three rings. Sure, I slipped a little and said that power was from the rings and..."

"And, that was when people started coming after you. When they knew they could have that power for themselves, people started coming after you. Some wanted just to steal them. Others, the crazy ones, wanted you dead for them."

"Which is when I hired you."

She puts her hand over her mouth and laughs a little.

"Yeah. Hired," she said while making air quotes. "You came on to me outside the bank I went to just as I was about to go in. You gave me a really bad line and I was just about to tell you off when the guy behind you pulled a knife on you and demanded your rings."

"Hey, I was hitting on you. I would have noticed him if I wasn't."

"Sure. I know you well enough by now. Anyway, I knocked him out with one punch and you hired me on the spot."

"It took me twenty minutes to convince you though. Still, all those zeroes are the reason you decided to put up with me."

"Pretty much the only reason."

"Best money I ever spent. You still didn't even know who I was until the next day."

"I know. Four years later and you're still trying to get into my pants."

"Maybe so, but you never had a boyfriend the entire time either. I bet if-"

Ping!

The noise stopped their conversation abruptly. He looked down in the hole he made. He kneeled down and started brushing away the sand and dirt. Slowly, he uncovered a small box.

"I guess we'll finish our stroll down memory lane here, Danny."

"Yeah. You were beginning to bore me anyway."

He placed his hand over his heart.

"Ouch. Still know how to get me. Tell the others to stop digging, alright?"

"Sure."

As Danny yelled to the crew, Blake became serious as he looked at the box. It wasn't all that big; about two feet in every dimension. However, the box itself was a work of art. It was made of some kind of metal; Blake wasn't sure what kind. Every inch was covered with decoration of some sort. The lid, the sides, even the bottom had drawings on them.

Danny returned, crew in tow, as Blake stepped out of the not-so-deep hole he had dug. Box in both hands, he proceeded to look around.

"Where's Sawyer?"

"Right here sir!" exclaimed a small, yet aged man who emerged from the crowd.

"You're the expert of the group. Care to check if we found the correct item?"

Sawyer adjusts his glasses.

"I would be pleased as punch sir!"

As he went to take the box, Blake noticed that the wind had picked up and the sky started to darken.

"Better make it quick Sawyer. That storm cell we were tracking may get here sooner than we thought."

Sawyer looked at the sky out to sea. A flash of lightning streaked across the sky in the distance past their cruiser, anchored off shore. He nodded to Blake and began examining it.

Even though one of Blake's rings could clear up the storm, he knew it could affect the weather elsewhere negatively. It may have only happened once, but he didn't want to test whether it was a coincidence or not. Each of his rings gave him a different ability and was strengthened when he found another. Even though he had spread the rumor falsely, when he found the tenth ring and put it on he felt almost like he could be invincible. However, being as smart as he was, he had known better.

"I believe, Mr. Steely, that this is indeed the item you have been searching for."

Blake chuckled to himself. He did most times since changing his last name legally. It was much better than Rearman. He was teased plenty for it growing up.

"Excellent! Finally, the last piece of the puzzle is contained inside this lockbox!

Everyone pack up and head back to the ship."

As everyone went to collect their gear, Blake stared at the box. He knew the contents would make his fantasies, every single one of them, come true.

"You want to marry that thing, Blake?" Danny exclaimed.

"Maybe. I'll dump it for you if you're that jealous."

"Not a chance."


	2. Chapter 2

Blake's cruiser arrived at the dock on his private island in the Caribbean. He loved coming home to the sight of his island every time. The island had used to belong to a Colombian warlord, but after busting him to the ATF while he was in America, he had bought out the island from the Colombian government.

It was only him, Danny, Professor Sawyer, and a few crew members at the dock. He had let the excavation crew off in Brazil. He didn't want many people on his island at any time. The constant threats on him made him a little paranoid. However, it had been warranted since there had been a couple of occasions where people had snuck onto his island posing as job seekers. He did hire people once in a while to help out on his island, right after an extensive background check.

He still didn't let the box out of his sight. Why would he? It was the key to his work and his dreams. Every single thing he wanted, he managed to obtain. When he knew he needed money, he calculated the winning lottery numbers and collected himself his first fifty million dollars. Needing more, he used that money to play the stock market; netting himself big returns. Needing the power to work out his plans, he solved an ancient riddle in a long-forgotten book that led him to his first ring. Everything he acquired, he earned with his intellect. This would be no different.

The three of them walked into the mansion. It had been vastly redecorated since he took over the island. Despite his high intellect, he enjoyed some of the simpler things. It showed in some places. The air hockey table and the football memorabilia were to name a few. He had kept some of the place intact such as the large fountain in the middle of the main hall.

He wasn't paying any attention to any of that, though. He was eager to take his prize to his lab. He moved to the far wall to a sliding metal door on the left. He placed his hand on the scanner and punched in his code.

"Blake and Danny, plus one." He exclaimed.

"CONFIRMED. WELCOME BACK MASTER," an electronic male voice answered.

The doors were unbolted and slid open. The sight of a vast laboratory greeted him. Various electronics were scattered everywhere; each serving an important function. Some were monitoring the news. Some were keeping specimens properly maintained, while even others were doing operations that only he himself had any clue as to their function.

As Blake placed the box on a clear plastic table, Danny broke the silence.

"Are you ever going to tell us what is in that box?"

He looked at Danny.

"Us?" He panned over to Sawyer. "I'm pretty sure Sawyer here figured out what's inside there by now."

Danny frowned.

"Fine. Will you tell _me_ then?"

"If I tell you, it will spoil the surprise."

"You and your surprises drive me nuts. As a bodyguard, I hate when you have some surprise cooked up."

"Hey, as long as I don't trip the lock trap, I should be fine."

"Wait. What trap?"

"The one that will electrocute anyone nearby if tripped," he said sheepishly.

Danny glared feverishly at him.

"I don't want you anywhere near that thing when it's opened. Do you hear me?"

"Awww. You do care about me don't you?"

"I care about the paycheck I won't get if you are dead."

Blake became serious.

"You know I'm not that stupid. My I.Q. was estimated above 300. You think I would take chances at this point?"

"There's a chance. After all, you're pretty obsessed with whatever it is in there."

"It will be fine. You'll see."

Blake turned back to the table. He saw Sawyer looking over the box. He didn't quite trust him, but Blake felt it was worth the risk.

"Did you figure out the lock yet, Sawyer?"

"Not quite. I'm close though."

"Care for some help?"

"You understand the markings on this?"

"Not really, but I can still get you some help. NEDS!"

"YES MASTER?"

"I want you to scan this box and decode the lock on it."

"UNDERSTOOD. WORKING."

A small device came out of the wall and started scanning the box.

"This computer is going to help?"

"This super-computer has access to information in any source. It can access internet, computer databases, media, anything."

"So what? That's no different than any other computer."

"When I said anything, I meant it. My computer can access paper media as well."

"What? How is that even possible?"

"It most likely is beyond your understanding. Suffice it to say it works thanks to specialized nanomachines I created myself. The details are outside your field of expertise so you'll have to trust me when I say that this is a simple task for them to perform."

"SCAN COMPLETE."

"Good. Can you tell me if you found a solution?"

"YES. I BELIEVE I HAVE FOUND A SOLUTION."

"Excellent! Get the protection field online and prepare to decipher and unlock the box."

"YES MASTER. AT ONCE."

"Danny."

She peeked up from the monitor she was looking at. It was showing a program she liked.

"What's up? Finally ready?"

"I believe so. I need you in position over here. You as well, Sawyer."

"Huh? Oh. O.K. I guess."

Sawyer and Danny went over to where Blake was standing.

"NEDS!"

"YES MASTER?"

"Begin the process."

"AT ONCE MASTER."

Four mechanical arms emerged from the wall near where the scanner had come from. One of them picked up the box and held it in place. The others began combing over the box.

"It shouldn't be long now," exclaimed Blake.

"Are you going to tell me what's in the box now?" Danny asked.

"I suppose now is the time. First, do you know what's in there Professor?"

"I'm afraid I don't. I figure from the drawings that it is intensely magical whatever it is."

Danny's eyes widened.

"It's not another ring is it? There can't be another one!"

"No. According to the inscriptions, there are only ten magic rings in this set. I knew that after the sixth ring. This item I found out about while looking for the last ring. What's in this box is actually more magically potent than all of my rings combined."

Both of them gave him a look of surprise.

"I know. I was amazed too. I had to be sure so I temporarily stopped looking for the last ring just to pool my resources to check it out."

"20 PERCENT COMPLETE."

"As both of you know, magic wasn't anything tangible until the summer of 2013. I wasn't even proven to exist until 2023. Many people were still skeptical for the next decade. It was said it was a hoax perpetrated by the government. It wasn't until 2035 that I shocked the world by proving it to everyone, everywhere with my ring demonstration."

"Right," Sawyer interrupted, "you proved it by using your second ring to teleport to famous places all over the world in mere moments."

"40 PERCENT COMPLETE."

"I might have moved to each place instantly, but it still took about five seconds for each teleportation to occur. Also, it took another five seconds before I could use it again. I never told anyone about that, save Danny here."

"Yeah right," She interrupted.

"It's true," Blake countered. "Of course the only reason I told you is because you were my bodyguard."

"Why is it I don't believe you?"

"This is getting off subject Mr. Steely."

"You're quite right Professor. As I was saying-"

"60 PERCENT COMPLETE."

"As I was saying! If people didn't believe in magic, then why were there so many items that ended up having magical powers already contained within them?"

"It was part of the government's finding," Sawyer answered. "People's inner feelings were conveyed into the works of art that were made by them. Therefore, the item became a container and a conduit for magic abilities. People could bring out an item's power by channeling their own magic into them. No one knows why it started up again in that summer."

"I remember you telling me something about how that reminded you of one of those anime shows that you're obsessed about Blake."

"Yeah. It's called D. ."

"80 PERCENT COMPLETE."

"Anyway, Sawyer, yes that is true. However, that isn't all there is to it. While all those items were able to contain magic abilities, some were made specifically to contain magic itself. If you held these items, it would seem like nothing would happen. However, in some cases people actually felt light-headed, tired, and in rare cases, even became sick. It was actually a reaction from the items draining that person's inner magic."

"That may be fascinating," Danny said with a look of disinterest, "but what does it really matter?"

"It matters because in every instance they were made in a collaborative effort by people with high magic potential. These people created the items specifically to contain very high levels of magic. No one person could even hope to have that much magic."

"100 PERCENT COMPLETE. PREPARING TO OPEN CONTAINER."

"Not just yet NEDS. Activate the defense field as well as the electric barrier."

"AT ONCE MASTER."

Several arrays emerged from the floor. A soft light emitted from them, enveloping the three of them.

"Was that it, or were you going to climax with something else?" said Danny with a halfway condescending voice.

"I had a little more, but it will have more emphasis in a moment. NEDS, open the box!"

"YES MASTER."

As the lid was opened, a whoosh noise came out from the box. Danny braced herself. Sawyer exhibited a worried, yet intrigued look. Blake's expression seemed of pure glee. The box finished opening, and without incident.

"It worked, right Danny?" Blake said as he elbowed her.

"Yeah, yeah. So what's in there?"

"It so happens to be one of those containers. The most powerful and ancient one there is. It's something that holds massive amounts of magic because it absolutely needs to."

Danny and Sawyer peered into the box.

"Is that a lamp?"

Blake smiled.

"Yes. Yes it is."


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you kidding me Blake?" Danny yelled. "I mean even with as far as we've come in trying to understand magic, do you really expect me to believe that this is a magic lamp complete with a magic genie who grants wishes?"

Blake sighed, and then smiled.

"I believe. Shouldn't you trust me when I say it's true?"

"That's crazy! It just isn't possible!"

"Magic is capable of many things. You've seen it yourself. Why is this so hard to believe?"

"It's because wishing something true is a miracle. That's God's territory. That's something only He should be able to do."

"Genies are creature of pure magic. They can grant wishes by combining and focusing their magic with your inner magic as well as your desire in order to manifest your desire into a tangible form. It's not a miracle. It's magic at a level no person could hope to obtain. Well, most people anyway."

"So this is your plan, Mr. Steely?" Sawyer interrupted. "You want whatever you can't already have? It seems so foolish. With your money, your intellect, and the power those rings gave you, you could already obtain anything you wanted on Earth."

"I agree," Danny added. "I don't even see the point of you getting a genie to grant you a wish. I mean, you seem to have everything."

"I do have quite a deal. I thought I had everything I could want. After I found the sixth ring, I thought, 'I can really be happy after I find the last ring. There won't be anything else I could want.' Then, when I found the first part of the puzzle that would lead me to this, I felt that my deepest, unobtainable desires might actually be within my grasp. Things even I couldn't have no matter how much I strived."

"So that's what you wanted this for?" said Danny, "To sate your desires? That seems so selfish."

"I never said I was a saint. However, I have given back to the world plenty. I mean, after all, I went and cured cancer. I streamlined a process that got aid overseas quickly to famine stricken nations. I even donate one million dollars annually to that charity you liked."

"I know, but still-"

"But still?" Blake interrupted.

"Yes!" Danny snapped back. "This is the kind of thing you should share with the world. You could make it an even better place."

"So, does this mean you believe there's a genie in the magic lamp?"

Danny gave him a look of confusion.

"After all that, you're asking me if I believe you now. I ought to resign from being your bodyguard just so I could kill you."

"I guess that's a yes. Anyway, before I use it, I'll need to do a full workup on the lamp. After all, it soaks up magic from anyone who touches it. It isn't something I can just scream 'open sesame' at and the genie pops out. NEDS!"

"YES MASTER."

"I want a full, detailed examination of that lamp, and don't leave anything undone. I want to know how to get it out."

"YES MASTER."

"Mr. Steely?"

"What is it Sawyer?"

"I'd love to help out your computer in order to figure this out."

Blake thought about it for a few moments. He still didn't trust Sawyer. However, he hadn't done anything to make Blake feel uneasy, Also,, if having Sawyer look over the lamp helped make the process go faster, it would be beneficial.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt. Make sure you don't get in the way or I'll have to ask you to leave. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly," Sawyer answered with a look of glee. He then turned to examine the lamp.

Blake walked to the exit and pressed a button on the wall.

"NEDS."

"YES MASTER," it said at a low volume.

"Keep an eye on Professor Sawyer. If he tries anything that makes it seem like he isn't helping with this examination, then incapacitate him non-lethally."

"YES MASTER."

Blake took a quick look back.

'Soon,' he thought, 'I will have what I want.'

He looked over at Danny. She was still where he had placed her as a precautionary measure. She was staring at both Sawyer and the lamp.

"Danny."

She looked over to Blake. "What?"

"Leave them to the task at hand. You can go on downtime now."

She looked back at Sawyer, then nodded and left the room.

After Blake followed Danny out of the room, he realized just how tired he was. He had barely slept at all since the day he found the lockbox a week ago. He had been too excited and preoccupied with making sure nothing happened to it to do so.

Now that he had made it home without incident, he felt that now could be the time to get some much needed rest. He went back to the fountain, up the stairs to the right, and stopped. He wondered where he ought to sleep. He had three different bedrooms that he slept in. They were all pretty much the same. He ended up just staying in the one closest to him. That would be best since he wanted to get back to his lab sooner when he woke up.

As he opened the door, the second one on the left, he peered in, surveying the room. The king-sized bed in the middle of the room was surrounded by various knick knacks. It wasn't too messy, but it wasn't exactly clean either. He knew he probably should hire someone new to clean up the house. He wanted a person to do it because when he had NEDS try and clean up everything was spotless, but all his thing were thrown away also. He thought a sexy new maid would be a welcome addition. He hoped a new maid would pass the background check he would put her through.

Thinking about this potential new maid made him even sleepier. When he realized this, he stripped down to his boxers and got into bed. He didn't even care that it was still 3 p.m. He was too tired to do much of anything.

"NEDS."

"YES MASTER."

"Close the light filter and then carry out program S5."

"YES MASTER."

The room dimmed and eventually there was barely any light to see with. Feeling better about having his program running, he relaxed and decided to get to sleep. He thought about how everything would change once he met the genie. He knew what he wanted. He knew it was selfish. He also knew it was his dream. He wanted it badly now that he could have it. Soon, it would be his.

Everything was only a wish away.


	4. Chapter 4

Blake awoke; his face stinging.

"Wake up smart-ass!"

He recognized Danny's voice immediately. He opened his eyes wide. Danny was dressed for full combat. She was wearing full body Kavlar armor and she was armed to the teeth with guns, knives, and explosives.

"Awww. My birthday isn't for another four months."

"This isn't the time Blake! We have inbound!"

Blake came to his senses.

"Any contact?"

"No."

"How about any identification."

"None of them have any markings."

"How many?"

"Around thirty, and all of them at least the size of a patrol boat. Two of them are carriers."

"Well, that's a pretty intense situation."

"That's your reaction? That's more than you've ever faced before!"

Blake scowled at Danny.

"I am taking this seriously. There can only be a few possibilities in this situation. Only one of them isn't a threat."

Blake sat up and got out of bed.

"NEDS!"

"YES MASTER."

"Activate Omega defense system level one."

"AT ONCE MASTER."

"Also, is Sawyer still in the labaoratory?"

"YES MASTER. HOWEVER, HE IS CURRENTLY INCAPACITATED AS PER YOUR ORDERS."

"Very well. Monitor him. I'll be down soon."

"YES MASTER."

Blake proceeded to get dressed.

"Danny, what is their E.T.A.?"

"Just over ten minutes from the island."

"Alright then," he said as he finished dressing. "Let's both get to the lab's defense center."

"Sure."

As they both went to the lab, Blake thought about his strategy. He hadn't faced this much of a force before, that was true. However, he knew there wasn't anything they could throw at him that he couldn't counter. He made preparations just for this sort of predicament. All he needed was the proper strategy.

"NEDS! Switch to code yellow stauts!"

"YES MASTER. PROTOCOLS ACTIVATED."

The lights in the mansion switched to a bright red. As the two of them approached the lab, the doors slid open automatically. When they went in Blake first noticed the unconscious Professor Sawyer.

"What was the cause for incapacitating the professor, NEDS?"

"A TRANSMISSION SIGNAL BEGAN BROADCASTING FROM HIS LOCATION. NO CASUAL DEVICES WERE DETECTED BEING USED THAT COULD BE AUDITORILY OR VISUALLY CONFIRMED."

"Alright. Did you jam the signal?"

"SIGNAL WAS JAMMED EIGHTEEN SECONDS AFTER TRANSMISSION BEGAN."

Blake looked over the unconscious professor. There wasn't anything out of place.

"Can you pinpoint the transmission source?"

"SCANNING…SOURCE IS COMING FROM THE PROFESSOR'S BELT BUCKLE."

Blake turned the professor to his back, and examined the belt buckle. There was a small button on the side. After removing it from the professor, he examined the buckle more thoroughly and noticed a small insignia on the back.

"Look here Danny."

Danny looked away from the defense station.

"Is it really important right now? They'll be here in four minutes!"

"Fine. I'll just say that it's a cross. A red cross."

Danny's eyes widened in understanding.

"The Templar's?"

"Exactly. They're finally making a move. That's what we're up against here."

"They had been quiet for years ever since they were revealed by the people from Ubisoft."

"I know. They started everything by putting the stamp of 'Based on a true story' on Assassin's Creed 4."

"Well, what are you going to do Blake?"

"NEDS!"

"YES MASTER."

"Use defense plan 107. Set at Omega defense level 2. Activate now!"

"AT ONCE MASTER."

Just off the coast of the island, several platforms emerged from underwater. The tops of each of them opened up and missile pods come out of them.

"You're just going to blow them up, Blake? That's a little callous even for you."

"They're all Templars Danny. They're responsible for some of the worst crimes in history like every presidential assassination and the Holocaust to name just a few. I know they want the lamp. That's what Sawyer was here for. He probably figured something out which is why he called them now. They could gain control of the world with but a simple wish. That's not going to happen. I won't let it. Fire the first volley!"

The missiles launched and flew towards the ships. A barrage of missiles was quickly launched from some of the targeted ships. About half of the missiles collided in mid-air. All of the ships' missiles were destroyed while the remaining missiles Blake had launched hit their mark.

"How did the first volley go, Danny?"

"Seventeen ships hit. Twelve are sinking, three appear dead in the water, and two have serious damage."

"Did we hit the carriers?"

"One is sinking, but the other is undamaged."

Blake smiled. He calculated he would damage one, but sinking it was even better. The enemies escape was dependent on those carriers in case something went wrong. Their course of action would only take one of three possible routes.

"The remaining ships are still advancing!" Danny exclaimed.

The enemies' strategy was down to two options. The enemies would not surrender easily, or not at all.

"Fire a second volley, Danny!"

A second volley erupted from the platforms. This time the volley impacted on an invisible field.

"It seems they have a magic field in place now. Why didn't they use it earlier?"

"It's about midnight. They probably weren't expecting anyone to be up. Lousy thought process if that's the case."

"Well, what now?"

"NEDS, load special ammunition number one."

"YES MASTER."

"Hey Blake."

"What's the matter?"

"It may seem like an odd time to ask, but why do you have the computer call you master?"

"It's a power trip thing."

"AMMUNITION READY."

"Fire the third volley!"

The third volley erupted from the platforms just like the first two. This time, however, every missile hit its target.

"Did those missiles just pass through their magic barrier?"

"Indeed it did Danny. I figured out that magic fields oscillate at certain frequencies. If you can match the frequency, then projectile weapons will pass right through."

"Well anyway, all but two ships are dead or sinking."

"What about the carrier?"

"Dead in the water. However, it is launching aircraft."

"They're headed this way, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"How many?"

"Looks like about a dozen choppers."

"Any of their personnel coming from the water?"

"Just a few. None of them are nearby."

"Switch to the EMP emitter and take out the aircraft."

"Gotcha."

Things were going smoothly, Blake thought. He found the correct frequency for the magic field right away. He thought it would take two or three tries to get the calibration correct. Taking out the entire fleet took less time than he calculated. He needed to confirm one more thing.

"The choppers are going down, Blake."

"Excellent! Search for reinforcements. This whole affair went way too easy."

"No reinforcements detected."

"All right then. Proceed with mopping up enemy forces."

"They seem like they wouldn't pose much of a threat now. Why go with mop up?"

"If there aren't any reinforcements, and they are still coming for us, then this is a suicide, all-or-nothing attack. If we don't take them out completely, then they won't stop until we're dead."

"I suppose so, but it just seems so merciless."

"Just do it or have NEDS take over. It doesn't have any emotions so I suppose it would be better for everyone."

"Alright. That will work for me."

"NEDS."

"YES MASTER."

"Commence mop up operations. Lethal force protocol. Keep scanning for approaching enemies. Also, if the enemy decides to retreat, let them go."

"UNDERSTOOD."

"Also, before I forget, make sure to let me and Danny know if any of them attack of defend with magic you can't deal with."

"YES MASTER."

Blake looked back to Danny. She seemed to be at least looking better. He sometimes forgot that even though she was his bodyguard, she had never killed anybody directly, even in self-defense. It was a kind hearted nature that he enjoyed. It was his favorite trait in people. It was the one thing that helped him get past his paranoia in people. Although, if you were a beautiful woman it was much easier to get him to drop his defenses.

Blake turned his attention to Professor Sawyer. His suspicions had been confirmed. Although he suspected Sawyer might turn on him at some point, he didn't actually believe he was part of the Templar order. There weren't any indications of it in his background check. I wasn't flawless. There were some misdemeanor arrests that showed up, but there wasn't anything to warrant this type of oversight.

It hardly mattered now, though. He needed to figure out what Sawyer discovered and also figure out a way to get his prize out of its confines. It would only be matter of time before some other group made its move. Something this big would not be kept secret for long.

"Hey, Danny."

"What now?"

"Could you wear just the guns on my birthday?"

"Don't make me shoot you."


	5. Chapter 5

"So, what do you think he knows?" Danny asked.

"More than he lets on. I bet he knows something to have called in an invasion force."

It had been about five hours since the attack on Blake's island. No one else had shown up after the initial attempt. However, it didn't stop Blake from thinking that more could show up at any moment. He needed to get information from Sawyer before anything else happened.

"Are you going to use that cranial whatchamajigger on him?"

"Cranial topography analyzer."

"Whatever," Danny said as she shrugged. "That thing that lets you see a person's memory, right?"

"It's the only option. I could try to torture him, but that isn't my style. Besides him just telling us, there is no other way."

Sawyer was hooked up to a chair that resembled an electrocution chair. His arms and legs were strapped down with leather restraints and his head was propped up the same way. The chair was clear plastic with a few wires running through it that led to the top of the chair where his head was.

"NEDS."

"YES MASTER."

"Activate the CTA."

"AT ONCE MASTER."

"Display on monitor four."

"YES MASTER."

A small helmet rose out of the floor behind the chair and slowly came to rest on Sawyer's head. A faint humming sound could be heard.

"You know, Blake, why can't we use the Animus you have? That thing you made can cause brain damage."

"First of all, you have to be conscious to use an Animus. Second, it can only display memories in visual and auditory from. It can't tell what the person was thinking. My system can. Besides, it hasn't caused any harm before, and I want that information."

"But…"

"I'm going to start on a low setting first. Like I said, I want that information. I can't get it if he's dead or a brain dead vegetable."

Danny frowned.

"Fine, whatever. I just think that you can't see what's in front of you because you're obsessed."

"You know that I already know this. However, I don't really mind being obsessed. It's given me drive. It's given me focus. It's given me everything I have. And now, I am a hair's breadth away from having my means to an end. Although, I don't know if I would really call it an end."

That statement brought an obvious look of confusion to Danny.

"It's more of a beginning, Danny. You'll see. NEDS. Start on the lowest setting."

"YES MASTER."

A high-pitched whine started to come from the floor. The chair started to glow.

"Alright. Let's go take a look on the monitor."

Both of them moved to a workstation. It was pretty much just a desk with twenty or so monitors displaying different information at each one. Each of them was also numbered and corresponding decks next to the station were recording what was shown.

"NEDS."

"YES MASTER."

"I want the feed on monitor four saved to master archive number three."

"YES MASTER."

The visual began to transmit from the monitor. The picture was fuzzy and there was no audio.

"Well, we have a signal, but it's no good. Increase setting to level three."

The chair began to glow brighter with the change. Sawyer was still unconscious, but he started to show signs of discomfort.

"Blake…"

"I know. It's still below threshold."

The picture on the monitor became clear. There were only faint sounds able to be heard.

"A little more and it should work. Increase setting to level four."

The chair once again started to glow brighter. Sawyer's expression changed to a more pained look.

"Blake!"

"It's fine! There isn't any danger at all until level seven. Let me and the machine work, alright?"

Blake's attention went back to the screen. The audio came in much better. It was currently displaying the conversation he had the day before right as he was putting down the box.

"Argh," said Blake; clearly impatient. "We're at this point in time. I really wish this thing didn't only run in real time. It's going to take hours for my machine to run to the point in time we need."

"Blake, I'm still worried about the damage the machine could cause if he's left in there for a long time."

"It'll be alright. You sound like a broken record. I've already told you I need that information. I can't get any information if he is brain damaged. Let the machine do its function."

It was then that Blake realized something."

"You know what? This is going to take a while and I am starved. Do you want to get something to eat while it gathers and analyzes the data?"

Danny stared in disbelief at Blake.

"Are you kidding me? How can you think of food right now? Four years of this and I'm still shocked whenever you do something crazy like this! Your machine could fry his brain and you want to break for some lunch?"

"Pretty much, yes. You want anything?"

Danny looked down and covered her face with her hand.

"Whatever. I'll take something to drink."

"MASTER, THERE IS A TRANSMISSION COMING IN FOR YOU."

"Great," Blake said and sighed. "Now lunch will have to wait. Any I.D. on it?"

"THE SIGNAL IS COMING FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES."

Blake was surprised. He thought that this would be coming later than now. Although he knew that destroying a fleet of ships would turn a few heads, the reaction came sooner than expected.

"Well, Danny-"

"I swear if you say something cynical I will beat the crap out of you."

"Never mind. Instead, I'll just ask you to keep an eye on Sawyer while I talk with the President."

"Fine."

Blake walked over a ways to a big screen with a camera on top.

"Connect us here."

"YES MASTER."

The screen came on and displayed a middle-aged woman. She had a stern look on her face.

"Hello Madam President. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes there is. I've gotten word that you destroyed an entire fleet of ships off the coast of your island. What could have possessed you to destroy and entire fleet of ships without mercy?"

"That's an odd question. I assume you've been briefed on the situation?"

"I have been told that they were peaceful vessels en route to Columbia. They had no intention of attacking anybody."

"Who gave you such bad intel? There were aircraft carriers as well as patrol boats. There's no way they were peaceful, let alone headed to Columbia. Their real destination was my island."

"Oh really? And why exactly do you think they were headed to your island?"

"Because, Madam President, there was a spy on my island who summoned them."

The President's look started to soften.

"A spy? What were they doing there and why did they summon such a large force?"

"The spy was in my employ. He was posing as a professor of archeology. I hired him to help in a discovery I made just a week ago in Saudi Arabia just south of Mecca. The large force is, or was, necessary since my island is well defended, as was made evident. I don't like intruders."

"Maybe not, but that still doesn't excuse you from destroying them."

"They made no attempt to hail me nor did they respond to any attempt I made to communicate with them. Also, I discovered that they were actually from the Templar order."

The President's eyes widened.

"Templars? There hasn't been any notable actions made by them in years. What discovery could you have made that would have brought the Templars to your doorstep?"

Blake paused for a moment. He considered telling her the truth. The current President was one of the few people he actually trusted. She had run the most honest campaign in nearly a century, and had kept up her campaign promises in the two years she had been in office. However, he was unsure what her reaction would be if she were told about the lamp. After Danny's reaction it was probably better not to do so.

"I believe that they think it's another piece of Eden. A shift in power could come from acquiring another piece if it is powerful enough."

"Do you think it is one?"

"It's unlikely. However, if they believe it is, and I think they do, they are going to come for it again."

The President sat back in her chair.

"I suppose we must take action."

"I doubt that will be necessary. I was able to take out their fleet with relative ease. I didn't even have to resort to confronting them directly."

"Very well. If you find out anything more about what you discovered, whether it's about the Templars or the artifact, I want that information immediately. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am"

The picture went out on the screen. Blake breathed a sigh of relief.

"This is getting complicated. I'm going to need to get the information out of Sawyer soon."


	6. Chapter 6

Blake continues his observation of the monitor; motionless. The footage from Professor Sawyer hadn't shown him anything useful as of yet. He thought about unhooking the professor long ago, but knew this was his best chance. He needed to continue.

"How long are you going to stare at that Blake?"

"As long as it takes. I can't miss any part or else I might not be able to figure out what he saw."

"You might want to take a break and get a bit more rest. I'm still worried about him being hooked up to that machine. You can always start up from there later and give him a break. Besides, you barely got any sleep before the attack happened, and you haven't slept at all since."

"Six hours is good enough for me. Besides, I'm not entirely sure it would pick back up where it left off. However, I could use some coffee. Could you get me some?"

Danny sighed. "Fine. I will."

As she left, Blake focused even more on the video. The footage was just visual. Nothing could be heard even though it looked like there was sound in the background. He was in the fourth hour of the video. There was just under an hour left, and he hadn't seen anything that would give him any ideas.

"I'm getting really annoyed about this. Perhaps he knew about the lamp beforehand. Though, if he knew, beforehand, why did he wait so long to contact his allies?"

"Wait a second."

Blake stopped. It was Sawyer's voice.

"Could the answer be that simple? Just maybe it is.

"If there wasn't any magic holding it in the lamp, the genie would be able to get out on its' own. The only question is how. I bet the others will know a way. Now is the time to summon them. I'll wait until sunset so we can attack under the cover of darkness. That will-"

"NEDS! End playback."

The screen went black.

"That's the key. He was right. It's such an obvious possibility. If the magic that is absorbed keeps the genie inside, then removing the magic from the lamp should be the way to get it out."

Danny walked back in. She had a cup of coffee in her hand.

"Danny, I got it!"

"Did you figure something out from the video?"

"Yes. I did indeed."

Blake walked over to Danny and grabbed the coffee.

"Thank you Danny."

"No problem. So how do you get the genie out?"

"It actually might be pretty simple."

Blake took a sip of his coffee. His face twitched hard.

"You forgot the sugar and creamer."

"Sorry, but is now really the time for that?"

"Good point. I'm pretty sure that Sawyer had the right idea. If you can remove the magic from the lamp, then the genie should be able to escape on its own."

Danny nodded.

"That's nice, but how exactly are you going to accomplish that? There isn't really any way to absorb magic from objects. People, yes, but not objects."

Blake smiled confidently.

"Actually, I do know of one way."

Blake took another sip of his coffee. It was really bitter for his tastes, but he wanted to stay awake.

"Well? What way is it Blake?"

"That would be this," Blake said as he held up his right hand.

"Do you mean your rings?"

"Yes I do. You know how each ring had a different ability right?"

"Of course I do. I've been with you a while now, remember?"

"I know. When each ring came together with the one I had originally, their powers increased drastically. It was an intense feeling. When I found the tenth ring, it was incredible. It was a surge of power that I almost was unable to handle."

Danny gave him a look of curiosity mixed with confusion.

"That does sound pretty intense, but what does that have to do with this?"

"I was getting to it. While the surge in power was incredible, it eventually subsided back into the rings. Of course, as always, I was curious as to what power this new ring had. As with the others, I focused into the ring and the ring's power activated."

"Yes, then what happened?"

"Nothing."

"What?"

"Nothing at all happened. That's what I thought anyway. However, something actually did happen."

"Stop leading me on, Blake. What does it do?"

"It absorbs magic. Just like the lamp."

Danny looked even more confused.

"Wait a second. Your tenth and final ring just absorbs magic?"

"Precisely. That's how I was able to figure out how the lamp worked. It works just like my ring. The difference being that while the lamp stores magic and uses it to contain the genie, my ring absorbs magic and transfers it to the other rings to increase their power."

"OK. How does that help here?"

"I thought you would have realized. No one was around. The magic I absorbed was from the area around me. That is the point."

"So it can absorb any magic?"

"Pretty close. It can't absorb attack magic, but that's because it is so volatile. Of course, I really haven't tried hard to do so. It might be able to if I put in some effort, but that's just speculation. In any case, with this ring, I should be able to absorb the magic from the lamp."

"That's your plan? What if the lamp absorbs your magic instead?"

"I suppose that's possible. I highly doubt it will happen though since it absorbs ambient magic and magic from those in direct contact with the lamp."

Danny gave him a stern look.

"Look, Danny, doing nothing will get us nowhere. In order to move forward we have to try something. This is the best plan under the circumstances. Just trust that it will work out."

"Are you kidding me?"

"No, I'm not kidding you."

Blake looked at his coffee.

"As much as I want to do this immediately, I really think you're right. I'm going to want to be rested for this in case something goes wrong."

"Well, I'm glad you're somewhat finally listening to me. Let's worry about this after we both get some rest."

As Danny left, Blake looked over at the lamp.

"I hope this works," he muttered to himself.

He looked over to Sawyer.

"NEDS!"

"YES MASTER."

"Place Sawyer in my containment cell."

"YES MASTER."

"When I'm done, I'm going to have to remember to send him to jail. He's too dangerous to be set loose. He knows about the lamp, so it will have to be somewhere no one can find him again. Maybe somewhere in Africa will work. Oh before I forget, NEDS."

"YES MASTER."

"Bring up the number 274 device."

"AT ONCE, MASTER."

A large hole opened up at the far wall. A large circular device emerged from the floor and began to glow in a blue hue. He modeled the pattern after a Stargate, but with a different pattern of structure in many key places. His favorite creations always did have better presentation than his others.

"Have the simulations finished running?"

"YES MASTER."

"What's the assessment?"

"PROBABILITY INDICATES A NINETY-EIGHT POINT NINE FIVE PERCENT CHANCE OF SUCCESS. HOWEVER, THE DEVICE IS ONLY CAPABLE OF RECEIVING INCOMING TRANSMISSIONS. OUTGOING TRANSMISSIONS ARE CURRENTLY IMPOSSIBLE."

"That's pretty much what I expected."

Blake turned back to leave.

"Once he's in the cell, keep an eye on our guest, NEDS. I don't know if he had any more surprises, but I don't want him to use any if he does."

"YES MASTER."


	7. Chapter 7

Blake looked in the mirror at the outfit he was wearing. He wasn't wearing his usual casual clothes like he normally did at his home. He also wasn't wearing his dress clothes for his infrequent, yet important meetings. He had on the special clothes he had made two months ago. It was specially threaded to be more durable, as well as coated with a special liquid to make it more resilient to the elements. He needed it in order to make sure he was ready for any possible threat that might occur when the genie made its appearance.

"Blake! Are you ready in there?"

"If you're wondering if I'm naked, you can barge in and check."

"That must mean you're done. Hurry up and get out here."

Blake went to the door and opened it up. He was met by Danny, who was wearing a similar outfit.

"So how is this any different from the outfit I usually wear? It looks and feels the same."

"It has a special material and a special coating. This suit is pretty much like steel-plated Kevlar. It also can withstand extreme heat and cold, as well as extreme weather conditions."

"Really?" Danny asked in a blasé fashion. "So, how strong is it?"

"I kept increasing caliber size to check. It can redistribute gunshot impact all the way up to a .357 Magnum at close range without the wearer feeling it. After that, it can withstand punctures from any projectile up to anti-tank rounds. In regards to bladed weapons, I've managed to successfully test numerous blades with increasing sharpness all the way up to a katana without doing any damage whatsoever."

"Look, Blake, that's really interesting. It will definitely come in handy when I climb an arctic volcano being chased by ninjas driving a bunch of tanks."

"No need to get snippy. I also finished the new pistols for you."

"Wait, do you mean…"

"Yes. I finally made the pistols capable of being reloaded by magic. The mechanism is triggered using the holster."

Danny started to look giddy.

"I've been waiting for you to finish those!" she exclaimed as she suddenly hugged him. "I've wanted to have some new equipment for a while now. Thanks a bunch!"

"You know I love it when you're this close."

Danny backed off and composed herself.

"Why did you have to ruin that for me, Blake?"

"At least I didn't grab your ass."

"Only because you'd lose your hand if you did."

"Let's save this for later. Your pistols are in the lab, along with the lamp."

Blake turned and started walking down the hall.

"Has out guest made any noise?"

"Just some complaining, nothing else."

"Good, although he may be a bit of a distraction with the genie on the way."

"Where should we move him?"

"Move him to cell thirteen in the containment area. It's way in the back. He shouldn't be a distraction there."

"I guess that sounds good."

Both of them arrived at the lab. Blake paused for a moment.

"This is it Danny. The moment it begins for me."

"Sorry that I don't share your enthusiasm. This is just not something that I think I can comprehend."

"That's fine, Danny. It's probably something you wouldn't believe anyway."

"Is there any part of this that I really can believe? This whole journey with the lamp is nuts. Besides, you haven't even said what you are going to wish for."

"I know I haven't. That's probably because you would try to talk me out of it."

"I bet anything you would wish for is something I would try to talk you out of. It's just the kind of thing I expect from you. You would definitely have to be the craziest rational person there is."

"Sane is merely a perception of the masses. I could get into the 'sun revolving around the Earth' debate, but now isn't really the time. Let's go Danny."

The two of them entered the lab. Blake stopped just inside the door as Danny continued onward. He took a quick look around as Danny went to move their 'guest' to his new quarters. Everything was in its place. All the pieces were in place. All that was left was the lynchpin.

As Blake moved over to the lamp, he yelled over to where Danny was.

"Everything is ready, correct?"

"As far as I can tell," she answered, walking back to him. "Where are the pistols?"

"They're on the table near the gate machine."

"Near the what?"

"The machine with the large ring," he said as he pointed to it.

"I haven't seen this before. What does it do?"

"Nothing, yet. It doesn't work."

"Well, what is it supposed to do when it does work?"

"It works on the theory of multiple dimensions. With it, I could move to alternate realities and do some research there. The possibilities are enormous. What if we went to another reality and found that there was a way to cure any illness? What if space travel was as easy as riding an elevator? What if we could find a way to stop any war before it broke out?"

"That does sound pretty amazing. What's the problem with it?"

"Unfortunately, it only goes one way. We can't go through it, but theoretically something or someone could come here through it while it is active."

At that time, Danny spotted the pistols. Her eyes lit up at the sight. Blake noticed her reaction and decided to leave it at that for the time being. He had more important things to do right now than give her explanations.

He turned his attention to the lamp. It was sitting on the table right where he had set it. Rather, it was sitting where the box it was held in was sitting. The box itself was now off to the side. It seemed almost completely unimportant now that its contents were removed, but it could still have some value in a historical sense. Not to mention that it may have some knowledge that he might need later about the genie inscribed on it. It was doubtful, but it was also better to err on the side of caution.

"NEDS!"

"YES MASTER."

"I want every instrument we have monitoring this. We are only going to do this once, so I want it recorded on Everything we've got to analyze later, as well as in case something goes wrong."

"YES MASTER."

"Danny."

Danny didn't hear him. She was still looking at her new pistols.

"Danny, I know they're awesome, but you might want to be impressed later."

"Oh fine," she said as she looked back to him.

He looked back to the lamp. It was almost taunting him now.

"So you're chastising me over these while you gaze longingly into that lamps eyes?" Danny shot back.

"I'll admit it's hypocritical, but I'm too excited to be that sympathetic right now. I want this done now. No more waiting."

"Glad to hear you're admitting your feelings."

Blake looked over to Danny. She had moved over to the security station.

"Yes. I also 'feel' the need to say that you have a nice rack every few days."

Danny shot him a cold glare. Blake instantly looked back to the lamp.

"Let's get back to business. Let's get this show on the road. I want you near me in case this goes bad."

Danny walked over behind Blake. Her concern was visible. Her eyes kept moving back and forth between him and the lamp. Blake wasn't as concerned as Danny was, but he knew that bad things could happen if he didn't focus properly. His ring drew in magic from the area naturally, just like the lamp did. However, taking it from a specific source required concentration. Even more so than his other rings.

"Let's begin."

Blake pointed his left hand towards the lamp. His focus was on his ring. It started to warm up. He knew it meant it was absorbing magic more freely. He then drew a line in his mind from the ring to the lamp.

Suddenly, his ring started to burn. He had never felt such a strong sensation before. He instantly knew it had to be a great deal more magic than he had ever absorbed before.

"Are you alright, Blake? It looks like it isn't going well. It looks almost painful."

He didn't realize that he had outwardly been showing his pained thoughts. It had never been this before and he kept the fact that it occasionally caused him discomfort to himself. This, however, was on an entirely different level.

"It's fine, Danny. It's just way more magic than I have ever absorbed before."

"Are you sure this will work?"

"Yeah. The only thing is that I'm going to have to use my healing ring as well. If I don't, it might burn my finger clean through."

Danny gave him a look of concern that he missed entirely from his intense concentration.

"I don't know about this Blake. Maybe you should wait to do this. Just until-"

"It'll be alright," Blake interrupted. "The magic I absorb can be converted right into my other ring. If the damage goes faster than the healing, then I will stop and try a different approach. Is that alright?"

Danny sighed and shook her head.

"Look Blake, I think you're losing sight of yourself. This obsession with that genie or whatever is consuming you. I think we ought to stop and think this through more carefully. You just seem to be rushing things way more on this than you ever do."

Blake thought about it for a moment. She was right about things being rushed. He was usually more meticulous when it came to things that were important. Things not quite exactly like this, but close to it. However, it wasn't going badly. Nothing had gone wrong outside of the magic absorption.

That's when it came to him. He hadn't planned out what he was going to do when he finished absorbing the magic. How could he have forgotten something so crucial?

"You're right, Danny. There is something that rushing through this made me forget all about."

Danny looked visibly relieved.

"See? Slowing down was the right call. Let's take some time and come up with a good, solid plan. Sound good?"

"Yes, that's fine."


	8. Chapter 8

Blake was sitting at his desk in the lab. It had been several hours since he had postponed his withdrawal of the genie. His mind was going over the events from earlier in his head. The sun was no longer rising, and in fact was starting to come down in the sky. He had no idea where Danny was and, frankly, didn't really care right now.

He knew the problem he had on hand. Even if he pulled all the magic out of the lamp, he still wouldn't be sure the genie would stick around or even listen to what he had to say. There was also the possibility that the genie could turn on him or Danny at any time. He had to come up with a plan to ensure that neither of those problems occurred.

That, in and of itself, was a problem. The genie was a being of immense magical power. The lamp, however, had enough magic power to contain it. The downside of it was that it made the genie inert, very much like suspended animation. He would need to contain the genie in a way that wouldn't leave it unconscious and still let it be able to grant his innermost desires.

He wasn't sure it was possible. The two states he needed were on entirely different sides of the spectrum. Any freedom he would give to the genie was a possible threat. However, fully confined, the genie would have no power. That was not an acceptable option either.

Then again, maybe that wasn't necessarily a problem. The genie needed to be contained, but maybe if he could keep it conscious, then he could work out something with the genie that would give them both the things they wanted. He wasn't sure that it was possible, but it was the only plan that would work towards the end he wanted.

The question now would be how to make something like that happen. He would need to build something like that from scratch. It would have to hold a being of immense magical power while keeping it conscious at the same time. The power consumption would be extremely high. Not only that, but it would have to be calibrated to the genie's unique energy signal. Genies are usually out of phase with the world of humans. They look like ghosts to us and vice versa. Keeping a genie contained in any way seemed impossible. However, if someone had done it before, then there was no doubt he could do it now. Only he would do it better.

"Feeling any better, Blake?"

Danny was standing just inside the lab doors. She had switched back to her casual street clothes.

"Yes and no. I'm just trying to figure out a few things."

"Anything I might be able to help with?"

Blake looked back at her.

"I'm not sure. There are still some problems that need to be solved before I can let that genie out. There are still also a few other matters that need to be attended to as well."

"You're talking about the professor?"

"That as well."

He turned back to his desk.

"There's also the problem of what to do about the attack we had against us. There are two sets of problems attached to that; one is with the Templars and the other is with the U.S. government."

Danny's eyebrows furrowed with confusion.

"What problem would you have with them?"

"I just took out an entire fleet of enemy vessels. I can talk down the President, but that is only one person. Convincing an entire group of people that I'm not a threat is much more difficult, especially considering the situation. Each of the will have their own agenda and will most likely involve a stance against me."

"That seems ridiculous. I mean, we're both American citizens. We pay taxes and follow its laws. Why would it stand against us?"

"You know, despite what we've seen, I love the fact that you are still so optimistic. Politics may have changes some since the event, but there are still many corrupt people sitting in office."

"Not nearly as many as there used to be though. Anyway, what are we going to do about the professor?"

Blake sat back in his chair.

"I'm not really sure. I think we'll just send him somewhere his cohorts can't find him. How about a South American jail?"

"All that he did was call his friends. He didn't kill anybody."

"Alright," Blake said as he rolled his eyes. "Somewhere nicer then, but he is still going to be jailed. He will not be set free to do as he pleases."

"Fine. Whatever. You do what you want with him. I'm sick of fighting you over these little things the past few days. I'm taking the day off."

"That's fine, but I'm worried about you leaving the island. We're probably being closely monitored by satellite, most likely by more than one faction."

"Argh! I don't want to think about that right now! I just need some time away from your nuttiness!"

Blake sighed and moved away from his desk.

"I need to concentrate on this problem as well. Therefore, I am going to do something I have never done before to be able to do so."

Blake clasped his right hand.

"Blake, so help me, if you try anything on me you will regret it dearly."

Blake looked at his hand and pulled off the ring on his middle finger.

"Here," he said as he presented the ring to Danny. "Take this for now."

Danny was struck speechless. Blake easily surmised that it was because she had never seen him remove one of his rings in all the time she knew him, which was true. He even showered and slept with them on.

"Blake What are… but why?"

"I know. I have never once taken any of these rings off after I put them on. They feel like a part of me. However, I have to figure out this problem, and I need some peace. You also need some time away from me, it seems, and this is the best way to accomplish both tasks. Take it."

Danny slowly reached out and grabbed the ring. As she did, Blake grabbed her with his other hand.

"Remember, I want that back. If you aren't back within twenty-four hours, I will send out my recon droid to find you. I have faith that I won't need it, though. Understand?"

"This is the kind of thing I mean, Blake, but fine. I'll be very careful."

Blake let go of Danny and sat back in his chair. He could almost hear her every thought. Danny looked down at the ring in her hand. It was lighter than she thought it would be. She slowly put it on. As she did, she suddenly felt a surge of energy come from it.

"Keep calm Danny!"

Danny grabbed her hand. It was an intense feeling. It didn't hurt almost at all. It felt more like pins and needles mixed with an intense throbbing all the way from her finger up to her head. The whole experience was truly a unique feeling. Eventually, it subsided and it felt just like a normal ring.

"Alright, Danny, I want you to test it out before you go."

"Danny nodded.

"Good. Now, think about being in front of the fountain outside. Concentrate on being there."

Danny did just that. She thought hard about it.

"Alright. Next, focus that thought into the ring. Make yourself believe the ring is thinking that it is there also."

She focused on the ring. It started to throb again, but not nearly as much as before.

"Very good, Danny."

She paused to wait for what he had to say next. There was only silence.

"Well? What is the next-"

Danny stopped as she opened her eyes. She was standing in front of the fountain outside. Blake was on the other side near the lab. He was staring at her with his arms crossed and a big smirk on his face.

"Wait. Did it work that easily?"

"Yes it did."

"Is that all there is to it?"

"Of all my rings, it is actually the simplest to use. The visualization you have while using it is the only real step you need to make it work. Just so you know, however, it doesn't have the support of the other rings like it usually does. Therefore, it will take more magic for it to work and more time for it to charge. From what I saw in the lab, I would say it took about eight seconds to charge which means it needs eight seconds to calibrate to its' surroundings. Do you understand all of that Danny?"

Danny looked up from the ring.

"I suppose so."

"Don't suppose. Yes or no, Danny?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Alright. One last thing. I measured your base magic at about 6,000 tynes. That means you can use it about ten more times before you have to rest and recharge yourself. Be aware of that."

"OK."

Danny started to concentrate.

"Oh, I almost forgot one thing."

"What's that?"

"Can you come back in only a bikini?"

Danny glared at him.

"Are you sure? It'll come with a casket accessory."

"Never mind then. See you soon!"

Danny concentrated once again and soon disappeared.

Blake stretched out his arms.

"Well, with Danny gone I hope I can get some kind of inspiration in order to make this work. There's no room for failure now."


	9. Chapter 9

Blake awoke, papers stuck on his face. He brushed them off and looked at the clock on the wall. It was already past noon. He looked back down. Several diagrams were scribbled on each piece of paper.

"NEDS."

"YES MASTER."

"Determine the probability of successful containment based on the diagrams here."

"AT ONCE MASTER."

A scanner detached from the table and quickly scanned the papers after Blake had finished organizing them.

"PROBABILITY OF SUCCESSFUL CONTAINMENT IS NINETY-FOUR PERCENT."

Blake took a moment to think about this. Ninety-four percent probability of success was very good. However, when it came to his life, Blake was never happy with anything less than one hundred percent certainty. This was the best he could come up with, and it was frustrating that his best just wasn't perfect.

On the other hand, though, he knew that the chances of making anything to do a better job were almost non-existent. This was his best option. He had no others. The only factor left was time.

"How long do you estimate for construction of the machinery on the diagrams, NEDS?"

"ESTIMATED COMPLETION TIME: FIFTY-SIX HOURS."

"Alright, then get started. I'll help out a bit later."

"YES MASTER."

Blake left the lab and walked into the main hall. He looked around and went into a room in the left wing. Inside was what looked like a trophy room. It had many different objects lining the walls as well as on pedestals under glass. On the far wall was a desk with a computer and keyboard on it. Sitting next to that was a phone sitting in a recharging dock.

"I guess I do have to use this occasionally. Perhaps it's just about time I ought to research telepathy as a personal communication tool."

He took the phone, dialed in a number, and waited for them to pick up. As he waited, he sat down in his desk chair to get more comfortable. Eventually, a man in a low husky voice answered.

"Oy! Whaddaya want?"

"Kevin. It's Blake."

"Blake? Which Blake?"

"I'm the only Blake that could have this number. You know that."

"Yeah, I know. Like I said, whaddaya want?"

"I'm going to need some bentolium."

"Bentolium huh? I suppose I can get muh hands on some, given you give me enough time."

"I need it in thirty-six hours."

"What? Are you pullin' muh leg? It's hard enough to get my hands on that stuff, and you want it that soon?"

"I know. I have three people I get it from, but you're the best and the fastest. I need it for some very time sensitive work and I don't have enough on hand to finish my work. That's why it has to be that soon."

"Still, thirty-six hours? Even I'm not sure I'll be able to find da stuff in thirty-six hours, let alone get it to ya."

"That's the other reason I called you. I know you're in Honduras right now."

There became an awkward silence on the line.

"Alright, so I am. What's the big deal? Finding that stuff means traveling a lot."

"If you're there, then my tip got leaked."

"What? Whaddaya mean tip?"

"Kevin, you know I'm only one of two people in the world who can predict a bentolium eruption. Ibet you've already run into some of White's cronies. Am I right?"

"Yeah, I have," he said as he grumbled noticeably.

"Then, he bought the information from the other source. Now listen, I don't have the time to beat around the bush here. I'll need that bentolium soon. I'll be giving you an extra thirty percent for this one. Do we have a deal?"

"Make it fifty. This time sounds real dangerous from how things are shaping up. Even more dangerous than usual."

"Forty."

"Deal. Just so ya know, though, it'll probably be right at the thirty-six hour mark. The chances of getting it there any sooner is pretty much nil."

"As long as it arrives at or before the specified time, it doesn't matter to me. I just need it here by then, or else it becomes pointless. If it doesn't get here by then, the extra forty percent is off the table. Understand?"

"I guess so."

"Good. I'll be here on my island. Goodbye."

"See you later."

Blake hung up the phone and put it back in its dock. He stared around the room, thinking about what he was going to do specifically until the bentolium arrived.

"I ought to get Danny to help me out, but she still had a few hours to herself. Although, I really do need to get some extra help on this. I guess I can ask her to come back."

Blake picked the phone back up and dialed Danny's number. He then stopped and hung the phone back up. He had forgotten that Danny hadn't taken her phone with her. He didn't have any way to contact her other than that.

"Yeah, I definitely need to research telepathy after I finish with this," Blake muttered to himself. "I suppose I'll just get her to help out when she gets back."

Blake got back up and headed out of the room. As he headed back to his lab, he started to ponder about the time it would take to be completed. There could still be some problems that could arise before he could finish building the machine. He was concerned about the Templars launching another assault. There was the President as well. If she launched an investigation, it could hamper his progress. He also still needed to do something about Sawyer. Keeping him here was a pain. On top of all that, there was still a chance that his discovery could be found out. There were still too many variables to have any mistakes made now. Not when he was this close.

As he stopped in front of the lab, his thoughts turned to the task at hand. He had to finish as soon as possible. He entered the lab and made his way to the construction area. Only a few parts of the base had been set up so far. The free-flowing arms from the lab had done only so much since he had left.

"NEDS."

"YES MASTER."

"Use the construction robots. I want this done sooner."

"RIGHT AWAY."

"Make sure they are only doing the larger items. I'll need to do the more precise work myself, and Danny as well when she gets back here."

"YES MASTER."

Blake went over to a blank spot on the wall near him. He pressed his hand on a pad and a door slid down. Behind the door was a small room, no bigger than a prison cell. Inside was a glowing, light blue substance in the form of stacked cubes about three inches on each side. There was only a small group of them on the far side. Nearby, a toolbox sat to the left of them. Blake went over to it and picked it up. His hand felt a tingling sensation where he touched it.

"Well, from the feeling I'm getting in my hand, the bentolium here is going to work just fine."


	10. Chapter 10

"Blake! Where are you Blake?"

Blake looked up from his work. It was Danny's voice. He looked at his watch. It was about twenty minutes past the time that she was supposed to be back. There was also the fact that she was asking where he was. This made him a bit uneasy.

"I'm in the lab, Danny. Where else would I be now?" Blake shouted.

"The way you were acting lately, I'm not entirely sure lately."

"If you think that was crazy, wait until you see what I'm building now."

"You know, that one sentence ruins the good mood that Bora Bora put me in. Why must you do that?"

"Bora Bora?"

"I was going to go to Boca Raton, but I realized I could go anywhere I wanted and I remembered that place from XXX, so I thought I'd try it out. It was amazing."

"I hear it's even better if you know French or Tahitian."

"So I found out. Too bad I only know some Spanish."

As Danny opened the door to the lab, the first thing she noticed was the structure in the middle of the room. It had to be almost thirty feet high. The base was about twenty by twenty five feet and had a big gap about two-thirds of the way up. Blake was standing in front of the structure with a piece of equipment in his hand.

"Alright. What monstrosity did you start to build this time Blake?"

"It's my problem solver. I had the robots move a few things out of the way to give me enough room to build it. I wouldn't mind some help on it. First things first, though. I'd like my ring back please."

Blake motioned his free hand at Danny. His face had a stern look on it.

"I pawned it," Danny said dryly.

Blake gave her a more serious look than before.

"Right now, Danny," he said in an even lower tone.

"Alright, alright."

Danny reached into her pocket and pulled out the ring.

"How come you didn't let me get to joke around? I never get to do jokes."

"maybe because you hardly ever try," Blake said as he took the ring from Danny. "If you don't try, then it will never happen."

Blake put the ring back on his finger. As soon as he did, he started to shake as he was assaulted with a feeling of pins and needles all over his body.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes," Blake grunted. "Just re-acclimating myself to all ten rings again."

She shot him an icy glare.

"Did you know this was going to happen?"

"Actually, I didn't I've never taken my rings off once since I've put them on. I really wasn't sure what would happen when I put it back on. Although, I don't think I'll be doing that again ever."

After he settled down, Blake went back to his work.

"Alright, so what are you working on now? And leave out the joke parts."

"It's a new containment device. Basically, I'm going to transfer the genie from the lamp into this structure after its completion."

"Will that actually work? You certainly couldn't get the genie out before. How are you supposed to move it to something completely different?"

"That's a great question!" Blake exclaimed. "I was hoping that would be the question you asked."

Danny sighed.

"Please don't make this so complicated that I can't follow what you're saying."

Blake frowned.

"Oh alright. Spoilsport."

"You mean like how you spoiled my joke?"

"Yes. Just like that Danny."

Again, Blake turned back to his work.

"Basically, what I'm going to do this time is instead of trying to remove the genie outright, I'm going to transfer it to this structure."

"Again," Danny interrupted, "how are you supposed to do that?"

"I'll get to that. The problem at the beginning of my first attempt was two-fold. The first was the toll it was taking on me."

"That's obvious. It was causing you a lot of pain."

"Exactly. I was converting the magic I was drawing out of the lamp into my healing magic to heal myself at the same time. All the magic I ended up taking, however, looks like it did nothing to weaken the seal on the lamp. That means there must be a great deal of magic that is containing it."

"That's what you got out of that?"

"That was one of the things I came to understand from that. Of course I now know not to absorb that magic from it like that. That's quite obvious to me now. What I mean is that if there is that much magic keeping the genie in there, then I would need a great deal of time to get it out of there. If I tried forcing my way into it like I did last time, I would be healing myself with the magic I pulled out of it all the time. Not to mention there is a good chance that it could do long term damage to me.

"The other problem, which I realized during the attempt, was that even if I managed to get the genie out, I had no control of the situation. The genie would be free, but that doesn't necessarily mean it was going to do anything that I asked it to do. Not to mention it could easily turn on me in an instant. That just can't happen if I want to get things done."

"OK. So then, what is the difference this time around?"

"This time around, I'm not going to be pulling the magic out of the lamp. What I'm going to do this time is a straight transfer to a different containment unit. Namely, this," Blake said as he put his hand on the structure. "This, when it's complete, should be able to contain the genie just as the lamp did, without being unable to communicate with it. If I can communicate with the genie under controlled circumstances, then things will be much easier all around."

Danny shrugged. "Alright. So how are you going to do that?"

"What I'm going to do is create an arc portal."

"A what?"

"An arc portal. It has the same principles of a transportal. You know what that is right?"

"Ummm…"

"Alright. What a transportal is basically is a gateway portal that bridges two locations anywhere. The portal transports you from one side of the portal to the other. This portal moves you in an instant and, since the points are connected from one point in space to the other, has no depth from the side."

"Is that last part relevant?"

"Well, if you cross it from the side, you could accidentally cut yourself in half."

"Oh. Wow."

"Yeah. Anyway, the transportal-"

"Oh, because you transport yourself with the portal. I feel kind of stupid now."

"Yes. Whatever. Anyway, the transportal is the basis of the process I'm using here. However, some of the processes need to be changed around in order for this to work. The genie is inside what is essentially a magical prison. It has been shrunk down and put inside the lamp while magic is funneled into the lamp. The magic is then used to create a containment field to keep it inside as well as immobile."

"OK. So it's impenetrable then."

"From the inside, yes. If the genie was free on the inside, I have no doubt it probably could make its way out, given enough time. As I demonstrated before, though, it can be manipulated from the outside."

"You mean your attempt to absorb the magic, right?"

"Indeed."

"That failed pretty badly," she said while crossing her arms. "You couldn't absorb the magic very well, and it ended up hurting you in the process."

"I was absorbing it just fine. That, essentially, was the problem. Naturally, in hindsight of course, and attempt to absorb or control it would backfire and cause harm."

"Kind of like I said might happen."

"You didn't say anything to me."

"Yes, I did."

"Regardless, any magic I directly absorb can give me a sense of discomfort. It's a negative reaction from displacing it from its source. I originally said that was what was happening when I absorbed it the first time. It was actually high defense magic. It isn't meant to be absorbed. It is its own defense mechanism."

Blake stood up and moved to a different location on the structure to his left. He then bent down and started working again.

"That's all fascinating," Danny said, "but what does that mean now?"

Blake paused.

"That's a good question. It's actually significant to what I'm doing right now."

Danny sighed. "Okay. What does it mean?"

"The magic can't be removed from the lamp, so I will have to bypass the lamp entirely."

"Is that where this arc portal comes in?"

"Exactly. Like I said, a normal transportal can transfer you from one location to another in an instant. This case, however, is different for two reasons. One is the magic containing the genie. A stable portal would never be able to form with the magic surrounding the target coordinates. The other is that it's a disproportional field. Unless the genie was always that size, it's been reduced in size to fit inside the lamp. So if we don't want the genie coming out looking like it represents the lollipop guild, we want to create a field that will re-size the genie on the way."

"Alright. So you make the genie more from the lamp to this containment device. How long is it going to take to finish it?"

"Around fifty-two hours barring any complications."

"That long?"

"Yes. It's going to take that long to build this, plus, after that, about an hour to make the modifications to my jump device."

"Jump device?"

"I already have a machine for the arc portal. It just needs to be modified for what I'm doing. It's easy enough."

Danny sighed. "I guess that was convenient."

"Indeed. It would have taken another ten or so hours to make that from scratch."

"Alright, then, there's still two things that are bugging me, and I want an answer for them."

"Sure. Shoot."

"First off, are you ever going to let out the professor? In case you had forgotten, he is still in your holding cell."

"He's still getting food and water. I'm not-"

"That doesn't matter!"

"Fine. I'll set aside some time to send him off."

"That's better."

"What was the other thing?"

"Your commencement speech at Yale! Did you completely forget that it's tomorrow?"

Blake stopped and thought about it for a moment.

"I suppose it may have slipped my mind," he said with an innocent look on his face.

Danny matched his look with one of pure annoyance.

"You swore to them that you would be there. You were the one that said you were excited to deliver it because it was only the second time that Yale had even allowed a commencement speech if you remember."

"Alright. Let me run some numbers for a second."

The fact that he had the speech at Yale had been the furthest thing from his mind lately. His new project was much more interesting. With his goal in his grasp once again, every little thing seemed to try to hamper his progress. Things were going right only where his work was concerned. He was almost three hours into construction and everything was looking to be on schedule. Now, when he thought he could get some help, she instead reminds him about his schedule outside of the lab. The only good news was that he had already wrote a speech months ago, so he didn't have to throw one together.

"When is the speech tomorrow?"

"Ten-thirty a.m."

Just under nineteen hours from now. It was before he needed to rendezvous with Kevin. It also wasn't too long of a speech he had prepared. The problem was how long the rest of the ceremony would take. He hated unknown variables.

"You're not going to weasel your way out of this Blake."

Blake fell backwards as he realized Danny had gotten right into his face without him noticing.

"Alright," Blake said sounding deflated. "It should be right in a gap during the precision work. At least I hope so."

"Terrific! Then, I'll leave you to your work."

Danny turned to leave.

"Yeah, I don't think so. Turn your tight ass around and get to work here."

Danny sighed.

"So close…"


	11. Chapter 11

"Mr. Steely! Are you ready?"

Blake looked over at the man. He didn't get the man's name earlier, but he was a coordinator for the ceremony."

"I believe so."

"Alright. We start in twenty minutes. Your speech will begin after the dean's speech. After you are finished, the ceremony should only take about another ninety minutes because of the class size this year."

"Ninety minutes?"

"I know! You would think that since the sitting president is getting a degree, there would be more to it, right?"

"Yeah," Blake sighed. "Sure."

"Go ahead and get into place. OK?"

Before Blake could answer, the man walked off between some of the professors and into the crowd.

"You know, Danny, every second I'm here my project seems to be calling back to me even louder."

"I'd say it's your imagination, but it may be that you have a screw loose and you are actually hearing something."

"Yes. I do hear something. I do. I hear that sexy graduate's voice over there. Her mind is telling me 'I need you tonight. Come to me.'"

Danny smacked him upside the head.

"Get your head out of her pants and focus. I know you don't really care about this a whole lot right now, but you need to get through this."

"I'd rather have her head in my pants…"

Danny began glaring at him. Blake looked back to her. A serious look adorned his face.

"Semantics aside, I know this is a serious matter. I was interested in this anyway because of the historical precedence this is setting. It is only the second time this is happening. However, it will also be one of the first degrees ever handed out for the specific purpose of magic. The fact that magic is being recognized by the scientific educational foundations of our world is an enormous step forward for the study, application, and progression of magic itself. I might be the most powerful wielder of magic in the world as of now. However, with no other peers, my study into magic was limited by my inability to correlate with others in my field.

"Until this program started, I was one in only a dozen people who could understand the more intricate nature of magic in a way that could be harnessed. Most of the others failed soon even with that knowledge. Professor Douglas Haawkins and Professor Emily Lompris were the only two, other than me, who made successful progress in creating useful applications for magic in terms of being beneficial for all mankind."

"I know they did some good things," Danny interjected, "but those two were funded by governments more interested in military applications than humanitarian applications."

"They didn't have a choice, Danny. I was the only one who didn't require funding in any regard. I had personal assets that gave me all that I needed. They had to get it elsewhere. Of course, they also didn't see much return after it was done, while I now have patents on several dozen creations."

"Yeah, that's great, Moneybags."

"Of course it's great! Do you know how much world hunger and disease have been reduced thanks to me? Over sixty percent. Over sixty percent of people who were starving can now eat thanks to me. Over sixty percent of people who had diseases that were incurable or controllable but couldn't get the medicine are now able to get that medicine thanks to me. Not to mention the fact that I cured cancer."

"I can imagine that horse spitting on you from the grave considering how you've ridden its carcass so long that it's a skeleton now."

"Ha ha Danny. I suppose you're right about that. It's just too bad there isn't a way to cure the common cold without turning it into a deadly virus."

Danny visibly cringed hard.

"Please don't bring that up again. I don't want to hear about how that virus is half of the code to making real zombies."

"I won't. I am only saying, in a very long manner, that magic can be used in positive and negative ways, and now with more people certified in proper application in the field, we may see a path down the righteous use of magic for all of us."

The coordinator returned from the crowd and made his way to Blake.

"Alright, Mr. Steely, go ahead and take your place on stage."

"Sure. Danny, keep your eye on the crowd."

"I know my job, Blake. Don't lecture me on it."

"But we're at a university. What better place is there to give a lecture?"

Danny grumbled and just walked away.

Blake shrugged playfully and walked out to the stage. He did a quick survey of the crowd on his way. There were easily five thousand people there. He knew there was going to be a large crowd, but this seemed larger than even he expected. He chalked up the increase in numbers to the possibility of the new diplomas that were being handed out this year. It would make sense in that regard. However, the more he mulled it over, the stranger the scenario seemed to him. After all, the abnormalities usually meant danger wherever he was concerned. He decided not to worry too much about it, but he kept his guard up none the less.

Coming to his seat, he looked at the other attendees on the stage. Most were, of course, professors in various courses at the university. Other than himself, there was only one that wasn't.

"Glad to see someone else I actually know."

The woman looked up to him.

"Blake! I knew you would make it!"

"Of course I would, Tanya. You know me well enough."

Tanya got up and gave Blake a hug.

"So, Blake, I know you don't want to hear it, but your mother wanted-"

"I know what she probably wanted," Blake interrupted with a stern look, "but I'm not going to go."

"He's been dead for five years now. You haven't even been to his grave once."

"I doubt I will ever go there. Well, I guess I probably will end up there when I bury mom."

"You shouldn't talk like that, especially about your mother. It's bad luck and bad manners."

"Alright," Blake sighed. "Anyways, I'm just glad someone I know is here. It always feels like I have a modicum of support when you're around."

"It's good to see you too Blake."

Both of them sat down. Blake looked over to Danny again. She was surveying the crowd from a position just off stage.

"So, have you gotten anywhere with Danielle yet?"

Blake shot a glare at Tanya.

"Come on now, Blake. I know you like her."

"Maybe I do. However, she isn't interested in me in that way."

"Perhaps if you didn't resort to childish antics you might be able to get her to go for a date."

"Yeah," Blake said as he rolled his eyes. "That's what's stopping me."

"Look, we both know you're feigning confidence. What do you think-"

The nearby band started to play.

"We'll finish this talk later, Blake."

As the precession began, Blake started thinking to himself to pass the time. He was probably going to avoid her afterwards. It would be difficult considering that he was sitting right next to her, but he was confident that he could find a way. He wanted to get back to his work after the ceremony. He would offer some words of congratulations and get back to his island soon after. His speech would probably take fifteen minutes in all. So, adding it to the dean's speech and the ninety minutes the organizer estimated, then he would be out in about two hours. He needed to make sure that Tanya didn't hang onto him when it was over.

As the students finished taking their seats, he decided to prepare for the speech he was going to deliver. It was a thoughtful speech about the usage of magic, as well as its' future with the guidance that these new graduates would give it. He would also mention the endeavors that not just those specific graduates, but indeed all the graduates would make towards creating a future that would make everyone's lives better.

"And now, introducing the newly appointed dean for the University of Yale, Professor Robert Newgate."

Blake applauded politely with the crowd. The ceremony was going faster than the coordinator had told him. He didn't mind. The faster things went, the sooner he would get back. It was exactly what he wanted.

Blake paused. It was exactly what he wanted. When had that stared happening for him lately? He had been to eighteen graduation ceremonies and in every one he had seen the people there had dragged on to absurd levels. It was to the point where he wondered sometimes if they loved the sound of their own voice. For things to go so quickly, it brought up a red flag in Blake's mind.

The sound of applause broke him from his thoughts. The dean had just finished with his speech and was headed back to his seat. Blake looked at his watch. His speech barely lasted over seven minutes. It was much too short for a speech at a college. He, himself, may have a short speech as well, but even it was reasonably short. This speech was about the length of a middle-schooler's speech. This was the new dean? It made no sense. As the emcee returned to the podium, Blake steeled himself for his speech.

"And now for our commencement speaker. A rare event for out illustrious institution. He has contributed to the fields of medicine, physics, art and perhaps most notable of all, his work in the study and practice of magic. His contributions in this area make him the only person I would consider giving an address on this inauspicious day. So it is with great pleasure that I present our commencement speaker, Blake Steely!"

As the applause began, Blake rose and waved to the crowd. His unease at the situation was well hidden from those nearby. The more he thought, the more things stood out. As he walked to the podium, he surveyed the crowd once more. There weren't any noticeable distinctions between anybody there.

He reached the podium and shook the emcee's hand. He then waved to the audience again waiting for the applause to die down. If anything was going to happen, it would most likely happen now. As the applause finally finished, Blake steeled himself for his speech and anything else that might happen as well.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for the wonderful welcome. I am honored to be giving the commencement speech for the Yale graduating class of 2039. It is a momentous occasion for all those who are graduating as well as those in attendance today. In the past, some of the greatest minds have come from this illustrious institution. I have no doubt that many more are from the people leaving with their diplomas today. It gives me great confidence in the future seeing these fine people leaving with such great honors. It fills me with great faith. Faith that our greatest moments are just ahead of us."

As the people started to applaud during the break in his speech, Blake suddenly felt a vibration in his right ring finger. It was the ring that detected imminent danger. Without warning, Blake activated his other ring and teleported over to Danny. As he did, he was treated to the sight of the back of the stage splintering. A bullet, and most likely meant for him.

As soon as that happened, all hell broke loose. People started to panic. Everyone started to run from the stage. Danny had drawn her pistol and was covering Blake from any potential follow-up attempts.

"Do you know where that came from?"

"No. I sensed something with my ring and just teleported to you. I would need to look at the projectile to determine where it was fired from. Not that I'm going to go back out there right now."

"There isn't exactly a great many places that could have come from."

Blake's ring started to vibrate again. With Danny there, he had to choose a different option than simply fleeing. He willed the ring on his left ring finger to activate. Instantly, the two were encased in a transparent dome of magic. Almost immediately afterwards, a bullet impacted on the dome outside.

"That was close."

"Indeed. It was also convenient. The impact on my dome will give me the trajectory for the bullet."

With the trajectory of the second bullet determined and the placement of the first bullet as well, Blake easily figured out where the shooter was. Of course, that was also a problem.

"Danny. There's more than one shooter."


	12. Chapter 12

Author's note: This is the last update for my transfer here. It is also a new chapter I haven't posted over on deviantart yet so yay new content! I'll probably return to the schedule I was on before I transferred this here now.

* * *

"Oh great. More than one shooter. So there's two people we can't see who want to kill you."

"At least I know where one is."

"Hooray. That's half the people today.

"Alright, alright. Let's either leave or catch the perpetrator. Your call."

"Good. Then, we're getting out of here."

"Catch them you say? Good call."

"I did not-"

Blake teleported away before she could finish. He appeared a quarter mile away on a rooftop next to a man looking through a scope."

"You missed."

As the shooter turned around, Blake activated his first ring. As always, it gave him an adrenaline rush. When the shooter looked back at him, he reached back and punched him in the face at 150 miles per hour. Needless to say, he was knocked out instantly, if not dead.

"Ah hah!"

It also didn't feel great for Blake either. However, some quick healing from his other ring just left him momentarily numb. With one threat neutralized, he needed to find the other.

Suddenly, his attention was drawn to the sound of gunshots. He turned his gaze to the crowd. Except now it wasn't a crowd. It was a mob. A mob that was going after Danny. His paranoia earlier was anything but that.

He quickly teleported back to Danny and brought up his shield.

"When I say we should leave, I damn well mean we should leave!"

"This was a highly unlikely scenario! Two shooters were a possibility, but an entire gang attacking seemed rather implausible."

"Implausible my ass! You can't stand there and tell me this was implausible for you!"

"Perhaps this isn't the best time for this. We can't leave this alone now. The police won't be here for a good ten minutes and I doubt they can handle a force this size without significant help. I'm going to omni-project my shield. After I'm done, I'll drop it and you pick off anybody nearby or anybody you deem a large enough threat. Sound good?"

"Sounds like we should have left and nobody else would have attacked. Now look at the mess we're in!"

"Complain later. Confirm now."

"Fine," Danny sighed, "I get it."

With her affirmation, Blake extended his arms and with it his shield. Everything within a seventy foot radius was forced back. He would have done a larger area, however they were still near the stage and he didn't want to get in trouble for wrecking it unless it was absolutely necessary. It was something that the coordinator had asked him to do as an off-hand joke and he went along with it. Still, it was his word and he would try to honor it, even if it was an idiotic idea.

After the shield dissipated, Danny went into a flurry of motion. Firing in every direction, she managed to take down anybody that was moving nearby. Nobody Blake could see had really presented themselves as a threat. Strangely enough, he didn't see anybody using anything but knives, clubs, chains, and other assorted close combat weapons. Danny, on the other hand, was gunning them down ease.

Of course, for Danny gunning them down merely meant incapacitating them. She was aiming low on every target. Danny always avoided killing at every possibility. She wasn't a pacifist, obviously, but the thought of killing people never did sit well with her. Every shot she took at her attackers went into their leg or foot.

Blake kept watching the display with an analytical look. This entire scene seemed off. The weapons, the tactics, everything but the sheer numbers of the attackers screamed at him that something was wrong. He kept observing even as a few of the attackers finally got close to him. They were merely annoying as he kept away from them with his magic super speed. He kept up his dodging until Danny had a chance to neutralize them.

Going through several possibilities, he thought of the most likely ones. Brainwashing seemed possible. No, that would take many years and could be undone too easily. A quick dodge from his right. The Templars perhaps? No, it was too soon for a counter offensive. Not to mention hopelessly tactless. A duck under a sloppy haymaker. Perhaps they were a group of individuals who sought vengeance upon him. Now he was grasping at straws. The reasons that they weren't out for revenge were too numerous to count. Trip an attacker from his left.

This was irritating him now. No part of this attack made sense to him. No noticeable differences in the attackers' age, gender, style- wait. It was subtle, but there was one unusual similarity amongst them.

They were all left-handed.

Strange. Why was every person attacking the two of them left-handed? It was an odd similarity. The kind that screamed to him of someone trying to make a point. He needed to check something.

"How are you doing Danny?"

"Surprisingly well. They don't seem very coordinated to me."

"Agreed."

"Are you going to help me now, because you haven't been all that helpful so far?"

"They aren't even giving you a hard time."

"That's because some of them are going after you now. After all, you're just dodging everybody with your magic and I'm a rain of pain. It's giving me some breathing room."

"Speaking of which, do you think you could last a bit without me while I check on something?"

"Oh hell no! Could you please expend some effort and help me take these people out? There's still a couple hundred left here!"

Blake looked at the mob of people again. True, she had taken out half of the mob already. However, he was certain she could take them out herself. Then again, one quick look into her eyes made him rethink his decision.

"Alright. When we're done here, I want to go take a look at the shooter again."

Blake then activated his ring again. He casually, though quickly, ran to each person in his path and proceeded to jab them in various places all over their bodies. Though he didn't like to fight, when he did Blake always aimed for the pressure points of the body. It was a good method of bringing down a person quickly without causing lasting damage. His high speed combined with Danny's quick shooting made fast work of the remaining crowd of attackers.

"I think that's the last of them."

"So it seems. If you'll excuse me for a moment."

Blake teleported back to the rooftop where the shooter still was lying unconscious. Perhaps he shouldn't have punched him in the face and instead took him down like the others. The man was still bleeding from the nose. Then again he never did like it when people tried to kill him. Thieves he could deal with. Murderers were a different story. None the less, he reached down and healed the man's face. Dead men talk much less than live ones.

He then looked over to the man's weapon. Upon examining the stock he noticed the grip was, to his mild surprise, right handed instead of left. He noted the difference, put on some gloves, and picked up the weapon. He then teleported back down to Danny.

"Danny. Take a look at this weapon."

She proceeded to look over the weapon. She looked like she was taking mental notes along the way.

"Is this what the assassin was using?"

"The second one did at least. Though, now that I have the time I should look at the first shot."

"Are you sure the first gunman is gone?"

"If he's not, then he's either a rank amateur or extremely patient. Either way, I can still activate my shield to keep myself safe. I would, however, like for you to go behind the stage in case he is still here and goes after target B."

Danny nodded and proceeded backstage. Blake moved onto the stage and walked over to the place where the bullet impacted. Before he looked at it, he decided he might need his hands and set down the rifle. He placed his hand on the wall and examined the hole closely. However, he discovered that the bullet had passed right through. It had to have quite the velocity to pass through almost two feet of wood.

Not wanting to go walking around again, Blake simply teleported behind the stage. Looking at where he was, he then walked over to the part of the stage where the bullet had passed through.

"Find anything yet Blake?"

"Not yet. I'm lining up the two points in order to find the bullet."

"You mean the projectile, right?" Danny asked as she walked over to him.

"Same thing to me," Blake said and shrugged.

"Just to you. I'm the weapons expert between the two of us."

"Fine. Just stop bugging me so I can find the projectile, alright?"

"You mean this thing in the divot?"

Blake turned to Danny who was pointing at a spot on the ground at her feet. Her face was sporting an ear to ear grin.

"I'll chalk that up to luck."

"Weapons. Expert. Here." Danny deadpanned.

Blake ignored her and walked over to where the bullet was.

"You know, I'm curious as to why we are looking for this in the first place. This doesn't seem like something we need to investigate."

"I need more data."

"More data?"

"This entire fiasco just screams to me of poor planning mixed with some deliberate planning and all of it orchestrated by a mastermind of both at the same."

"What do you mean by that?"

Blake kneeled over the divot, but stayed there to explain things.

"First, there was the initial attempt. It was the most calculated attempt. The shooter waited until I was at the podium so he could generate panic. The shot may of may not have hit me. However, it seemed like it was meant to fail."

"It was meant to fail?"

"The attempt incited panic in the crowd. It was meant for that reason alone. With the crowd panicked, a second attempt could be made from a second vantage point."

"That doesn't make sense. I mean, there's no way to know where you would've gone after you had teleported."

"Of course they would know. At least, anybody who has done their homework on me would know. There would be only one place I would go to."

"You teleported straight to me."

"Exactly. I went straight to you. I teleport to you in case of emergency for several reasons. You protect me from physical threats. I protect you from magical threats or threats you can't perceive. Finally, if there is a threat too big for either of us, I can teleport us both away."

"Alright, I guess that makes sense."

"Precisely. With my presence there, the second attempt went off as planned."

"As planned?"

"The second attempt was a feint. It brought my attention to the second shooter knowing I could do nothing about the first. Giving me a target to pursue, this mastermind knew I would take the bait. Think about it. Why in the world would somebody stick around to take a shot at me, knowing that someone else tried and failed, as well as stick around to take that second shot when the first attempt had failed? It was all part of the plan."

"OK. So then what about the anarchy? They came after me."

"With me gone, you didn't have the same level of protection as before. None of the people who attacked you were carrying firearms. They blended with the crowd until I left so that they wouldn't draw attention to themselves beforehand."

"Yeah, I see. I was only able to get away because I saw the glint of a knife before he attacked me."

"The final portion of the assault was the sheer numbers they sent against you. Your old pistols held up to ten rounds at a time. They had intended to rush you with overwhelming numbers to negate the problem of your pistols. You would've needed to reload, and when you did they would have bull-rushed you to overwhelm you."

"Except, they didn't know you just supplied me with these new ones. With these, not only did you upgrade the capacity to twelve, I can reload them magically now by tapping the bottom of the pistol grips together. Then, with the special sights on them, I can chamber the rounds nearly effortlessly."

Danny eyed her new pistols gleefully.

"Exactly. Those pistols and the lack of up-to-date intel saved your life. With their plan thwarted, however, the enemies did something I didn't expect. They kept coming. Even after I arrived and joined up with you, they still kept attacking. Any sane person would have run at that point. Even the ones later on didn't need to attack. They could have dropped or pocketed their weapons and blended into the crowd to escape. With that many hostiles, even I would have let them go. However, that isn't what they did."

"So then, why didn't they leave Blake?"

"I'm really unsure. The last situation doesn't make much sense. Of course, that's only if you look at it from the one angle. There is the alternative however."

Blake paused.

"Look, I know you're pausing for dramatic effect. Just cut it out and keep going."

"The alternative is that they kept going to deliver a message."

"A message?"

"It was very subtle. There were almost no similarities between the attackers. However, when I noticed one it stood out like a beacon. All the attackers were left-handed."

"What?"

"Indeed. All of the attackers were left-handed. It's a curious common denominator."

"What does that even mean?"

"I'm not sure. It's a step in figuring this out, though. In the meantime, can you point me to where this was fired from, o great and mighty weapons expert?"

"Sure I can, o lord of the inane," Danny whispered.

"What?

"Nothing," Danny sighed. "Let's just go back to the stage."

Before following Danny back to the stage, Blake dug a line in the dirt and grass that pointed to the divot. After that was finished, Blake walked over to where Danny was on the stage."

"That building over there," Danny said as she pointed to a structure about a half-mile away.

"Alright. I'm going to take a look there."

"So am I."

Blake thought a moment about that.

"Alright, fine. I was going to have you question some of the conscious attackers, but I'm not sure what I want to ask them will be any different than what the police will ask during questioning. I don't think they even realize they're all left handed anyway."

Blake put his hand on Danny's shoulder and teleported to the roof of the building she specified. They both scanned the rooftop for anybody or anything out of place. However, nothing stood out of place anywhere they looked. Blake and Danny both walked along the edge of the rooftop looking for any signs that an assassin had been there.

"See anything at all?"

"Surprisingly nothing Blake. There should at least be scuff marks somewhere. I'm just not finding anything at all."

"Well the fact is there isn't. This is an office building. None of the windows are capable of opening and there are no holes visible on the building anywhere below us to suggest that he fired from a different level of the building either. Unless he fired the bullet 'Wanted' style from a different part of the building, then he didn't fire from here."

"This doesn't make sense Blake. This is the only building in the area where that shot could have come from. For there to be no evidence of it all, then whoever this was is a professional amongst professionals."

"This could take some time to figure out."

Those words sparked his memory.

"We, however, don't have that time. We need to get back to the island and back to work on the containment device. This attempt on my life may be unique, but I'm too engrossed with my work to really care that much."

"It's that kind of attitude that makes it real hard to be your bodyguard. I'm supposed to keep you from harm, despite the fact that I've wanted to harm you myself from time to time. Ignoring threats on your life is something a bodyguard should not overlook."

"Perhaps. However, we have no leads right now. Also, look over there."

Danny looked to where he was pointing. It was back to ground zero. Only now, the police had finally arrived. The response time was much longer than Blake stated. Most likely since they came in full riot gear.

"With the police now on the scene, we have no reason to stick around."

"What about giving a statement to them?"

"We can do that later. In the meantime, the police will interrogate the people who attacked us. We can get the information from the police later. Does that sound good?"

"Not really, but I'm not about to interfere with the cops either. Fine. You win Blake. Let's go."

With that, Blake went over to her and the both of them teleported away.


	13. Chapter 13

Blake looked up from his work. He smiled as he gazed upon the containment structure. It was a little ahead of schedule. Of course, it didn't really matter since he was at the point where he had to add the bentolium.

"MASTER."

"Yes, NEDS."

"I HAVE RECEIVED A COMMUNICATION FROM YOUR AQUAINTANCE, A MISTER KEVIN. HE IS REQUESTING PERMISSION TO DOCK."

"Permission granted. Let him know that I'll meet him at the front door."

"YES MASTER."

It was a quarter past eleven at night. Blake was happy that Kevin had made it before the deadline he had imposed. He was also happy that Danny was asleep right now. He imagined that he would get quite the earful if she learned he was going to be using bentolium for this project.

"NEDS. Did you wake Danny yet?"

"NO MASTER."

"Alright. Don't wake her for this. Also, if anyone deviates from the path to or from the lab without being accompanied by me, then I want them immobilized. Understood?"

"YES MASTER."

With that out of the way, Blake made his way out of the lab and to the front door. There he waited, and waited, and waited some more. In retrospect, Blake thought, he probably should have just let them through and waited in the lab.

"Hello? Anybody in there?"

Blake slapped himself in the forehead. It was probably a dumb idea to tell them to wait there and expect them to knock. He quickly opened the door for him.

"Oy. I've been waitin' for ya."

"As was I, Kevin. Let's continue this inside, shall we?"

Blake allowed Kevin past him. Oddly, he was the only one that was there. He looked farther out and saw that the rest of the crew was still on board the ship. He began to worry that something was about to go down.

"Oy. I can't get into your lab. The door's shut."

Blake looked back to Kevin. He had indeed shut the door to the lab behind him.

"Just a second. I'll be right there."

"What's with that look?"

"It's nothing."

"Oh no. I remember that look now. It's your ol' 'someone's out tah get me' look you got there. Am I right?"

"Perhaps."

"Well, I hope it ain't meant for me. That's half ta' reason I left my workers on the boat."

"What would be the other half?"

Didn't know how much ya wanted."

"I probably need about three-quarters of a ton."

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! That much? Are ya stockin' up? What in Heaven's name would you need that much of ta' stuff for?"

"In all honesty, it would be better if you didn't know. Though, if it works, I believe that the world will be a much better place."

"I hope so. For all our sake's"

"Let's just get this inside first."

Blake opened the door and led in Kevin.

"There's a spot over by the wall that I want you to put these. Leave it there. All of it."

"It'll take a bit of time to get that all in here. Can we chat while it all gets brought in?"

"I suppose we can. Is there something specific that you wanted to 'chat' about?"

"It's about Mr. White."

Blake frowned deeply.

"Yeah. That guy."

"What happened? It must be pretty serious if you dropped your fake accent."

"It is, and don't my crew about my accent. My fake accent works wonders for all sorts of things. I still can't figure out how you knew. Nobody else has even figured it out."

"It's actually a trade secret. However, in exchange for not telling your crew, you can't ask about how I figured it out."

"I suppose that's fair."

"Back to the subject at hand. What happened with White?"

"He got violent on this one."

"Violent how?"

"Usually, the flow comes up enough that we can harvest the liquid bentolium in several places without having us run into anybody else."

"I take it that didn't happen this time?"

"Oh it did. The problem was that he seemed to be actively searching for us."

"That doesn't make sense. Sure, White is an arrogant, greedy ass, but he knows to not stir up trouble around raw bentolium. It's basically like magic lava in that form. Nobody in their right mind would try anything near it."

"I'd agree with that, except word has it he started getting treatments for Priceless."

Blake got very serious.

"I can't believe it. I never would have thought he would develop Priceless syndrome."

"Apparently he didn't have the normal symptoms of it."

"Then everything comes together perfectly. Priceless treatments can cause paranoia in some cases. A most unfortunate side effect."

"It was a good thing we were already halfway packing up to leave when his goons found us. Unfortunately, not all of us got away. We lost Tucker."

"I didn't know Tucker. I actually don't know almost any of your men. I think the only guy I know is Stringer. It's the reason I have the mansion on alert."

"Heh. I must be slipping. I didn't even notice. Anyways, you're more of a recluse. I doubt you would know anybody other than my right hand man."

"I'll agree with that. Still, losing a man is never a good thing."

"No, it's not. What's worse is what I have to do after we are done here."

"Which would be what?"

"I have to break the news to his wife, Carolyn."

Blake stopped short upon hearing that.

"What was his share going to be?"

"That's an odd question to ask."

"Something I learned a long time ago was that you never make girls cry. It is one of my four codes that I live by. I am indirectly responsible for his death. The only thing I can do for her is leave her something. I can give her money. That is what I can do. However, if she inquires about it, say that it was a hazardous risk bonus that he set up to be given in case of his death so that he would know she would be taken care of."

"I do wish you would show this side of yourself more often Blake. People would think you're much less of an arrogant asshole."

"Oh please. I have to keep up appearances you know."

He laughed and slapped Blake on the back.

"Too right! You does at that."

Blake was about to ask about his accent, but quickly realized that they had made it back to within earshot of Kevin's craft.

It was about the size of a yacht. That, however, was probably the only thing it had in common with one. It pretty much just looked like an upscale tugboat. It had a large cabin in the front that rose up three stories. Behind it, there was a long, flat section around 300 feet long with containers lined up along the entire expanse.

"I guess you got more than just the amount I asked for."

"Of course. I still dinna get as much as I wanted tah. Should've had the containers stacked up three 'igh. Blasted White and 'is cronies."

"Save it for later. Let's get the ones I need to my lab. Make sure none of them deviate from that path. If they do, they will be getting a nasty surprise."

"They'll listen. I told 'em before they got 'ere that if they did anything stupid, then they wouldn't be gettin' paid. That shut 'em up real quick like."

"Good. Get in and out and that's all. Shall I send your payment along with you or do you want it transferred to your usual account instead?"

"A few of them got scared. They's saying it'll be their last job. I'll be needin' the money up front this time, mate."

"Go ahead and get started then. I'll go get your usual payment plus the forty percent as we agreed upon. I'll also wire the other sum to a new account and give you the numbers later, alright?"

"Sounds good, mate, sounds good."

Blake turned around and started walking back from the dock. His thoughts went back and forth between two subjects. The first was Arturo White. He knew that as long as he was being treated for Priceless that the bouts of paranoia would get steadily worse. In all likelihood, he was probably getting the treatments himself. Any doctors who notice symptoms of paranoia in Priceless patients will likely get help to secure the patient. Paranoia in these cases starts with the doctors themselves. Those instances in which patients leave their doctors due to the onset of paranoia usually die soon after since a lack of continuous treatments can cause a dramatic relapse that speeds up the progress of the illness. In White's case, however, he was willing to bet that he threw money at the problem and received treatments elsewhere.

It really didn't matter that much to him right now. He would ask some contacts to spread the word about it and soon the problem would take care of itself. Nobody dealt with people who had Priceless. It was like the AIDS epidemic in the last century, or the bubonic plague in the 14th century. People were uninformed and afraid of it, and because of that people simply avoided them like, well, like the plague. The same held true today.

Dismissing that, his other thought was on his project. Since his work on the containment device was halted, he could take the time to work on the device he would use to create the arc portal. It would take about half an hour. In that time, Kevin's men should finish unloading the bentolium into his lab. He could then shape the bentolium into the containment device and seal it up before Danny awoke from-

"Blake!"

He looked up to see Danny's irate form standing in the front doorway. He then let out a hefty sigh.

It looked like he was going to get an earful after all.


	14. Chapter 14

"You unbelievable idiot! Do you think that these excuses mean anything to me?"

"Does it ever?" Blake deadpanned.

"No! Not this time! Your hum-drum attitude is not going to get you out of this one!"

"Will a raise work?"

"No...Maybe…Depends on how much. I'll still be angry at you either way."

"Anyway, are you going to keep this up for much longer? I still haven't paid them yet and they are already halfway done."

"You think I like yelling at you?" she yelled in an even louder voice.

"Sometimes I wonder about it," Blake responded with a sigh.

"Well, I don't! It makes my throat sore and that annoys me!"

"Look, can you yell at me while I'm getting them their money?" he asked and started walking inside. "I won't be able to pay some of them later."

"Stop trying to change the subject!"

"Yes or no Danny?"

"Fine!" she yelled as she threw her hands up in the air. "Go do whatever it is you want to do like always! I'm tired of having to deal with your arrogant ass!"

Behind Danny, he noticed Kevin shoot him a smug glance.

"Look, I know you're pissed off about this, but yelling at me for the past half hour isn't accomplishing much of anything. They just want to get paid and leave. I'm trying to do that now. You have been increasingly antagonistic ever since you found out about this lamp. I'm starting to think you have a problem with the situation surrounding it."

"You've been doing one crazy thing after another since you found that thing and you think that I'm the one who has a problem?"

"This is no different than what I usually do around here. I had an experiment that nearly killed both of us and even then you didn't seem as upset as you do right now."

"That's horse shit and you know it! I wasn't showing how angry I was because I got a concussion! I doubt I even remember have that day anyway! Admit it! You're the one who's so blinded by your obsession that you are going to kill yourself, and probably me as well, over it!"

"Enough!" Blake yelled as he stopped in front of a large metal door. "Back and forth bickering between the both of us will get us nowhere. I've admitted before that I am a bit obsessed about this. However, you can't deny that your reaction to this is way more antagonistic than usual."

Danny seemed to be seething at his latest remark.

"I know you want to be angry at me Danny, but this needs to stop right now. I don't need the constant second guessing coming from you. It's not going to get either of us anywhere. It's just going to lead us to this argument over and over again. I know you have your misgivings about this and I haven't been giving you any assurances that it will get any better. Just know that this is going to lead to great things and I will not let it end badly. Now, are you going to come with me?"

Blake looked deeply into her eyes. He could somewhat see her emotions playing out in them. He believed she would calm down now. True to that, she closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh.

"I don't think I'm getting through to Blake, but I'm still your bodyguard and maybe even your friend. I'll follow you into this, but I reserve the right to tell you how wrong you are when this goes bad."

"That's fine with me," Blake said and smiled. "This is a more substantial undertaking this time around than I have ever done before. However, I need to do this."

"You don't _need_ to do this. You just _want_ to do this."

"However," he continued, "right now I need to get these workers their payment."

Blake turned around to the door and put his right hand in the middle of it. A scanner activated and, after it finished, the door unlocked. The two of the pushed open the door and went into a small room. After closing the door behind them, they moved in front of another metal door. Blake leaned forward and a laser scanner rolled over his eye. After about ten seconds, the scanner turned off and the second door unlocked. The two of them pulled open the door and walked into his vault.

Blake looked around the room. It was a large room, but not overwhelmingly so. It was segmented into three areas. In the back, there was a large stack of gold bars. In the middle and front, there were many different items under metal cages. Both of them knew better than to touch the cages or else they get fifty thousand volts of pure pain. All along the walls were lockboxes of varying sizes. It was a silly gesture considering the same key would unlock all of them, but Blake knew no one else but he was aware of that. Seeing that everything was in order, both of them went over to the stack of gold bars.

"Alright. I need two briefcases full for this."

"Two? That's more than you usually pay."

"I asked for a rush job. Also, some of them are quitting after this job."

"I see."

The next ten minutes went by in silence as the two of them filled up the briefcases with gold bars. When they finished, they picked up the briefcases and exited the vault. After repeating the process they used to get in, they closed the first vault door behind them and made their way back to the main hall. Waiting for them near the front door was Kevin. He had quite the bored look on his face.

"I'm guessing by the look on your face that you and your crew are finished."

"Aye. I think they felt your fancy computer givin' 'em the eye. Made 'em go pretty fast it did."

"I'll bet it did. When you hit your next port, go ahead and give me a call on an actual video receiver. It's getting old having to use that old cellphone in my office."

"You know I hate those things, right?"

"I do, but you've never told me the reason why."

"Not somethin' I talk about."

"Fair enough. I'll give you a call then, instead. I'm not going to be near my office any time for the next week or two. That should give you some time to unload the rest of your cargo. Does that sound alright?"

"Eh, I suppose."

"Good to hear. Here you go."

The briefcases were promptly handed over to Kevin.

"Alright. I'll see you blokes later."

With that, Kevin headed out of the door and went towards his ship. Blake watched him for a full minute before closing the door.

"NEDS."

"YES MASTER."

"Make sure nobody stays behind from that ship."

"YES MASTER."

"Why did you tell him that you couldn't answer that phone? I know NEDS lets you know about any call coming to the island."

"True, but he doesn't need to know that. Besides, if my experiments work out, I may not be around here very much. You as well, Danny."

"What does that mean?"

"I expect things to come to a head soon. If I'm right, we'll be traveling for a while. I'll need you in a bodyguard capacity for it."

"Blake, you're making me uneasy again," she spoke in a matching tone.

"Don't worry about it. Come on. Let's head back to the lab so I can finish working on everything I need to make this work properly and safely. You want everything to be safe, right Danny?"

"I want _both_ of us to be safe."

"Good point. Let's hurry up."

The two of them entered the lab and went over to the crates that Kevin's crew had left. True to his word, he had left about three quarters of a ton of bentolium for him. From the look of it, it was probably a bit more than that.

"So, now that you have all of this bentolium what are you going to do with it?"

"Basically, I'm going to refine it and turn it into the main holding area for the genie."

"What? How would that work?"

"It's very similar to the material from that old Star Trek movie I once saw. They called it transparent aluminum. I never did get the specifics for that. It would have to be something sturdier than aluminum. Perhaps something like-"

"You're getting off the subject," Danny interrupted.

"Yes, you're right. Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is that it will be very much the same when I'm done. I first need to break down the bonds in the bentolium and turn it into a liquid state. At that point, I will need to structure it into the gap like a glass bulb using a special catalyst to keep it from clouding over like in its natural state. Then, I'll have to repeat the process several times over. The lamp itself, once emptied of its prisoner, will then be placed in contact with the bentolium sphere. The sphere will then adopt the characteristics of the magic in the lamp. If I'm right, which I believe I will be, only the surface characteristics will be transferred. That means the bentolium will become a magic shield that the genie can't escape from."

"Wouldn't that also mean that the bentolium sphere would draw in magic?"

"Only in the same way as the lamp. It will draw in ambient magic in the air and any strong magic sources that come into contact with it."

"What will happen if you're wrong?"

"If I am wrong, then the bentolium will take on all the characteristics of the lamp and the genie will become inert again. The exception, of course, is that it will be inside the bentolium sphere instead of the lamp. That will be a marked difference, however, since I can then observe the genie inside the sphere. That is something I can't do with it inside the lamp. That, in and of itself, will be a large step forward."

"I guess that's better. Although, what is this catalyst you're talking about? You told me once that nothing could affect bentolium on a molecular level and that it can only be liquid or solid bentolium."

Blake looked at his right hand and sighed.

"I'll end up having to use my pinky ring."

Danny stared at him for a moment.

"You mean your alchemy ring?"

Blake covered his face with his right hand.

"Ugh. Yes, that one."

"You said you hated that ring."

"I do. My feelings about it haven't changed."

"Then why would you use it now?"

"I don't have another way to make the bentolium into the way I want it to. Changing it with the ring is the only option."

"Are you sure? I mean I actually like that ring and think that it's pretty nifty."

"It makes a mockery of scientific law!" Blake snapped as he turned around. "The three steps of alchemy are bullcrap! You slam your hands into the ground and suddenly you get a giant working cannon? What the hell is that about? A snap of your fingers and you get explosions. Do you have any idea of the specific elements that need to be present in the air and the specific quantities you would need for it to work? The only thing that made sense in that was people as an energy source. It was made thirty years ago and I still can't stand that damn show!"

Blake was breathing hard from his tirade. However, Danny began to smirk.

"It's still a nifty ring."

Blake growled a little and continued.

"If this ring wasn't part of the set, I would get rid of it in a heartbeat. However, since it is part of the magic circulation of the rings, the others wouldn't work at full power."

Not to mention the fact that he also remembered what the writing said on each ring. When they were all together, the rings actually decoded each other. It was how he found out that if any of them were destroyed somehow, then all of them would stop working.

"Does that even matter? Like you said, it was thirty years ago."

"The fact that it was thirty years ago is really a small concern. After all, things from all times can be inspiring. When something happens shouldn't matter if it inspires you. Just the same, something that you dislike or wish hadn't happened isn't going to change no matter how long ago it occurred. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

"Yeah, I suppose so."

"Good."

"Although, I think the fact that you use magical science makes your dislike of alchemy a bit hypocritical."

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!

Blake raised his head towards the ceiling as he began yelling incoherently. Danny couldn't help but laugh at his display of frustration. She did, however, back up a little as she did so.

"I'm already sick of this!" he yelled as he got back on track. "Let's just get the bentolium out of these crates and over to my giant cauldron."

"Giant cauldron? Are you a witch now?"

"Stop it," Blake stated in a low tone.


End file.
